Welcome to Arcadia

Summary


The yearr is 3018. It would be an honor to tell you about the existence of flying cars and interplanetary travel, but the history of mankind has taken a completely different path.

The great world leaders have not bothered with the warnings given by the scholars of their time, now we are supposed to pay the price of their ignorance. Most of Earth's surface, or of the Arcadian surface as we call it now, is covered by a vast and dangerous ocean that, even after a millennium of the Great Collapse of the contemporary society, continues to expand.

As the inhospitable climate of Arcadia accelerated the evolution of species, it has become common to see humans breathing fire own hands, as well as to find horrendous beasts capable of killing you in a few seconds right by your side in the bed.

The world is plunged into deep chaos. It was only in the last century, with the creation of the Federation, that hamnity took the first step towards a possible restructuring. But it is up to fate to decide whether or not this will be possible. Anyhow, get ready for some scares and be welcome to the world of Arcadia!

The world of Arcadia
Arcadia, name that was officially adopted, in the year 2904, to refer to our planet. It is composed of small islands that do not exceed the mark of the ten thousand square kilometres. The Federation owns every single island already discovered until the moment, but with the significant increase in the number of pirates, this situation may change soon.

The main islands, known as The Nine, are listed below, from the largest to the smallest.

Exodus, formerly known as Australia, has one hundred thousand square kilometres of area. Its vegetation is, like that of most of the planet, extremely por, due to both the climate and the monstrous urban expansion. It is the current headquarters of the Federation and therefore is where William Redhood, the World Leader, resides. Despite being the largest island on the planet, it is undergoing a crisis of overcrowding because many migrate there to escape the monsters and pirates. The distribution of income in Exodus is extremely irregular. Around the seat of government the richest ones live, while most find themselves further away in tight districts.
 * Exodus: By the Federation and for the Federation.

Now literally green, Greenland is where the country of the same name once stood. Its exact size has not yet been defined, but it is estimated as something around 90,000 square kilometres. As previously mentioned, Greenland is completely covered by a vast vegetation, lakes are found everywhere and, because it has not been much explored, there are several ruins of our Ancient World. Why wasn't it explored? The answer is simple: the humans that inhabited it could not survive the sudden change of temperature and, thanks to that, the island was abandoned until the last decade. The Federation officially acknowledges its existence, however, of all the ten expeditions that were sent to explore the place, only the last one was able to return and all its members had completely lost their sanity. There is a kind of cult that has been expanding in recent years that believes in Greenland ad the Garden of Eden itself. Now, could they be right or are they just a bunch of crazies?
 * Greenland: Blessed untouched land, paradise in Arcadia, unattainable by human hands.

Orléans is a giant hill. Formerly called Mount Everest, the island has been increasingly eroded by time until it gained a more rounded shape. It has fifty thousand square kilometres and, like what happened in Greenland, but of course to a smaller degree, a complex ecosystem was formed in Orléans, which is due the fact that it is one of the highest places in Arcadia and, consequently, one of the most cold, having an average temperature of forty degrees Celsius. This would be an ideal place to shelter, but due to the valuableness of its resources, the tribes that live there are in an endless war for territory. The situation is actually chaotic. The Federation claims sovereignty over the place and even has a base there, but not even it can put order in the bustle. There is a great altar made of a strange stone on the ridge of Orleans. No one knows its purpose. It is a consensus, that it will be activated when touched by those who win the war. In the center of the altar, there is a giant eye, similar to the Beholders, with the differential being several tentacles around him. What's its meaning? I would love to know.
 * Orléans: And at the end of time, the strongest will tread on the top.

A land ravaged by the wars of the Ancient World, the island lies in a territory formerly known as Russia. Remnants of radiation are found everywhere, so the entire population of the island is composed of poor Arcadians who have no means of getting out. Its situation is worse than that of Orléans because in Motherland there are no tribes, it is simply every man for himself. Children are abandoned by their parents when they become seven years old, and in some cases it happens even earlier. The base of the Navy responsible for the administration of the island is not inside, it is a gigantic boat that surrounds the coast and its main objective is to ensure that no citizens escape, after all this could spread the radiation to other islands. It's Hell itself.
 * Motherland: Land of the cursed by the blood of the old ones, the demons will never leave.

After discovering the way, Uganda has become one of the most advanced islands in terms of technology. Its inhabitants live in complete harmony, under a single flag, and soon every effort was directed to the development of utensils that facilitated their lives. Thanks to that, our first steam engines were built there and now the machines are slowly spreading throughout Arcadia. The island is a great desert of thirty thousand square kilometres, the scarcity of fertile soil has made it completely dependent on the other islands, so it seeks to maintain good relations with all of them. Unfortunately, good relations are not enough to feed the island: it is more easy to find tons of copper thrown around than a single tree. Only the most powerful can feed properly.
 * Uganda: We its your blood, its veins, its arteries and even its iron. We give life to Arcadia!

It's difficult to imagine communism really working, but here we are. New Cuba has fifteen thousand square kilometres of pure freedom, each family lives quietly in its corner and, some times a year, meetings are held to promote greater communication between the inhabitants and decide what will be done from there. The island is made up of a vast plain with a few isolated trees, ideal for planting and herd rearing, but it is also the perfect home for the breeding of powerful beasts. Although the Federation proclaims the possession of New Cuba, those who live there do not accept in any way such a declaration and affirm that they will never submit to a hierarchy. Take care when entering this territory, some individuals take advantage of the freedom to do the most diverse types of atrocities.
 * New Cuba: They can kill one, two or three roses, but they will never be able to stop the spring.

The Union of the Southern Republics, commonly abbreviated to USR, is not an island, but a set of trees which, in all, occupy an area of fifteen thousand square kilometres. It may seem a bit confusing, but it is in the region formerly called the Amazon Rainforest, and since nature always finds a way to adapt, the trees have grown so much that they can keep up with rising ocean levels. No other place in South America, except for a few peaks in the Andean Mountains, was able to emerge, so the entire population that once inhabited our beloved South American countries fled to the top of these colossal trees. As you can imagine, the USR has a big problem with banditry, since several thieves' guilds have their base there.
 * Union of Southern Republics: Who cares if the world no longer cares for us? We will not sink!

No one knows for sure how the Hell it got there. Skyland is wandering through the skies of the country that we used to call the United States of America, its natives possess a beautiful pair of wings, so, until the moment, they are only ones who can go up there. The island has something around fifteen thousand square kilometres, it has extremely rarefied vegetation and its soil is very infertile, after all it is a bunch of flying earth, but it is possible to plant enough to ensure the survival of its small population. There is an ancient prophecy passed down from generation to generation, its author unknown, but every Skylandian has it on the tip of his tongue: 'When the King of Heaven comes, Skyland will succumb.' No, it's not Jesus. Well, it's probably not.
 * Skyland: Its heavenly glow reflects on the waters of Hell.

The only official information about Downfall, the island-prison, is that it has two thousand square kilometres and is used to exile the most powerful and cruel pirates. Rumors say it is located somewhere in ancient Asia, but this has never been confirmed. Let's just say this is not the place to go on vacation.
 * Downfall: In the face of such evil, Tartarus becomes Elysium.

Apart from these listed above, there are dozens of tiny islands scattered throughout Arcadia. Some are inhabited by unknown populations that have been isolated by the rising waters, others remain solitary waiting for a brave explorer to find them.
 * Miscellaneous

Power of the verse
Since the power of the verse may vary greatly, it would be difficult to write everything down.