Guide to Otan

Otan

Will to Power Universe

Otan (🔊 OH-tann) is a huge continent surrounded by a massive ocean. Humanoid creatures are the chief inhabitants. While their technology is rudimentary, the inhabitants possess numinous powers.

Type of	Continent
Genre	Fantasy
Inhabitants	Humans, Aelfes, Dweorges, Grendel, Aydahar, Ungir, etc.

The continent of Otan is a massive, oblong landmass that serves as the singular cradle of civilization within a vast and impenetrable ocean. To the west, the mainland shatters into a sprawling archipelago that is home to the seafaring Araldikar, while the rest of the continent stretches toward four distinct corners. Each of these corners is inhabited by cultures that have adapted to their specific biomes. At the very heart of Otan lies its most formidable feature, which is a central range of towering mountains perpetually entombed in glacial ice. This frozen crown remains one of the few truly uninhabited regions of the world.

The environmental spectrum of Otan is extreme. It ranges from the biting, sub-arctic tundra of Soltustik in the north to the lush and humid tropics of the Karazalikar territories in the south. Despite these regional differences, the continent follows a unified seasonal cycle where winter is universally the coldest period and summer is the warmest. Otan is a literal island in a void, surrounded by a fundamentally impassable sea.

Neither the most advanced nautical technology nor the most potent arcane magic can preserve a vessel that ventures beyond the sight of land. Ships that stray too far into the horizon simply vanish or are torn apart by forces that defy explanation. This physical limit has forced the various strains of Humans, Aelfes, Dweorges, and Grendel to focus their expansionist energies inward.

The sky of Otan is dominated by three tidally locked moons that never turn their faces away from the world. The largest and most brilliant is the Eye of Woden, which is flanked by two smaller companion moons known as Huginn and Muninn. These celestial bodies orbit Otan in a synchronized dance once every six-day week. The Otanian year is structured into twelve months, each consisting of twenty days. This cycle is appended by a final Holy Week, which is a universal period of transition observed by every culture on the continent.

Otan is a land of deep spiritual diversity that houses six major religions and a pantheon of over one hundred gods. These faiths are the primary drivers of the Will to Power, shaping the laws and conflicts of the seven human nations and their non-human neighbors. While the Great Erasure 260 years ago wiped the historical slate clean, the people of Otan have spent the intervening centuries building a complex and vibrant world within the confines of their sea-locked home.

Otan Inhabitants

The inhabitants of Otan are composed entirely of various strains and substrains of humanity, each having been fundamentally changed by unknown forces into the diverse forms that now walk the continent. From the ethereal Aelfes to the resilient Dweorges and the formidable Grendel, every soul is an offshoot of a shared biological baseline, yet they exist in a state of profound historical amnesia.

Because the Great Erasure wiped away all traces of what came before, these people suffer from a common lack of history both together and apart, leaving them to navigate a world where they must solve the mystery of their own origins. This fractured heritage drives the various nations to struggle for dominance as they attempt to define their place in a reality where the past is a void and the future is dictated only by their collective Will to Power.

Aelf

The Aelfes (🔊 ALF ) are a northern strain occupying the mountains, forests, and seas. Legend tells that the first Aelfes were created by Woden the All-Father.

Substrains: Brimaelf, Dunaelf, Friggaelf, Wodaelf, Wyrmaelf

Aydahar

The Aydahar (🔊 AY-duh-HAR or 🔊 EYE-duh-HARRR) are a race of draconic-infused humans originally of human origin, but whose ancestors are of a draconic lineage.

Substrains: Altin Aydahar, Aq Aydahar, Jasil Aydahar, Kara Aydahar, Kizil Aydahar, Koke Aydahar

Dweorg

The Dweorges (🔊 DWORG ) inhabit south-central Otan. Legend tells that the first Dweorges were created by Woden the All-Father.

Substrains: Beodweorg, Fyldweorg, Haefdweorg, Oradweorg

Garis

The Garis (🔊 GARE-is) are a collection of canine, lupine, and vulpine humanoid people who live on the southern shores of Otan.

Substrains: Akimsilik, Beybitsilik, Ustemdik

Grendel

The Grendel (🔊 GREN-duhl) are often characterized as a savage strain, though would agree that this supposition is based on their arguably brutish looks.

Substrains: Kalas Grendel, Maerc Grendel, Sogis Grendel

Human

There are seven cultural variants of humans. These variants are not divided by even lines and individuals may vary greatly within each group.

Substrains: Araldikar, Batistikar, Karazalikar, Ontustiker, Ortalykshilar, Sigis Turgindar, Soltustiker

Kuulik

The Kuulik (🔊 koo-OO-lik) are a diminutive race of green-skinned fonts of ambition. Lacking the might to take territory, most Kuulik are itinerant in nature, frequenting other nations for trade.

Substrains: Sawdager, Tenizi, Uris

Misiq

The Misiq (🔊 MIH-sik) are a solitary race native to southeastern Batis. Because of their detached nature, they have little contact with other strains.

Substrains: Aristan, Baris, Jolbaris, Sileysin

Qurilissi

The Qurilissi (🔊 KOO-rih-LEE-see), better known to some as the "builders" appear in the lore of most of the religions of Otan.

Substrains: Aya Quralissi, Jer Quralissi, Ort Qurilissi, Suu Quralissi

Sweardaelf

The Sweardaelf (🔊 SWAIR-dalf) are a diminutive race who reside mainly in the southwestern Kingdom of Kiskentay.

Substrains: Borgainaelf, Fyrthaelf, Geardaelf, Scraefaelf

Tozakh

The Tozakh (🔊 toe-ZAK) differ most notably from other humans in their propensity to grow horns and antlers.

Substrains: Faun Tozakh, Infernal Tozakh

Ungir

The Ungir (🔊 ung-GEER) are a highly gregarious and industrious people with a penchant for exploring the underground.

Substrains: Juzuu, Karangi, Usatin, Ustinde

Otan Geography

Otan is a vast and oblong continent defined by its extreme geographical diversity, stretching from the frozen northern wastes to the sweltering tropical south. At its geographical heart lies a massive, uninhabitable core of towering mountains capped by permanent glacial ice, a frigid crown that separates the surrounding lowlands and serves as the continent's literal spine. To the west, the land shatters into a complex archipelago of islands, while the rest of the mainland is divided into seven major human nations and several non-human territories, each carved out of distinct climate zones.

The far north is dominated by the sub-arctic tundra of Soltustik, where the ground is perpetually frozen, transitioning southward into the temperate central plains of Ortalyk and the fertile, golden breadbaskets of the Republic of Batis. Further south, the landscape shifts dramatically into the arid, sun-scorched deserts and lush oases of the Ontustiker Caliphate, eventually reaching the humid, verdant rainforests of the Karazalikar matriarchy.

This entire landmass is locked within a singular, impassable sea that acts as an absolute boundary, forcing these many countries to compete for space and resources within a closed ecosystem. Because of the Great Erasure, the borders of these nations are relatively young, yet the civilizations within them have rapidly mastered their specific environments, from the maritime Araldikar of the western islands to the forest-dwelling Aelfes of the Aelfwode, creating a world where geography and the Will to Power are inextricably linked.

Aelfgarad

Aelfgarad (🔊 ALF-ga-rahd) is a country in the the northwestern corner of continental Otan. It is predominantly populated by the Friggaelf substrain of Aelfs.

Capital: Bealu Population: 3,386,953

Aelfwode

The central landlocked country of Aelfwode (🔊 ALF-wode) is almost entirely forested. It is bordered by 5 countries and populated with Wodaelfs.

Capital: Stapol Population: 2,333,939

Altinqor

Altinqor (🔊 AHL-tin-kor) is a south-central landlocked country populated by the draconic-blooded Aydahar and every variety of dragon found in Otan.

Capital: Kazinasi Population: 5,161,498

Araldar Coast

The Araldar (🔊 ah-RAWL-dar) Coast is an island archipelago off Otan's western coast. The Araldar Coast is a collection of Baronies governed by its military, the Union of Araldar.

Capital: Jagalik Population: 5,754,613

Batis

The Batis (🔊 bah-TEESE) Republic is a large territory in north-central Otan. It is populated, primarily by the agrarian Batistikar people.

Capital: Astik Population: 4,737,832

Free States

The Free States are a territory comprised of independent city-states with no central government. Their population is wildly mixed.

Capital: Asylzhan Population: 2,832,275

Garis Nation

The Garis (🔊 GARE-is) Triumvirate is a tri-fold state composed of three regions, each populated and represented by a substrain of the Garis strain.

Capital: Trappist Population: 4,589,956

Jalinbeti

Hedgewind Jalinbeti founded the Jalinbeti (🔊 jal-in-BETT-ee) Protectorate after the territory seceded from Ortalyk. Its population is a diaspora of Otan.

Capital: Jalinbeti Ciry Population: 506,601

Karazalik

The south-central nation of Karazalik (🔊 care-ah-ZAHL-ik) is populated by Humans, noted for their dark complexions and matriarchal society.

Capital: Kenzhe Population: 2,753,573

Kiskentay

The Kingdom of Kiskentay (🔊 kiss-KEN-tay) is situated on the southwest corner of Otan. The diminutive Sweardaelfes rule their lands and seas.

Capital: Kiskentay City Population: 3,463,862

Kuulik Peninsula

The Kuulik (🔊 koo-OOH-lihk) Trade Company is the smallest nation in Otan, yet boasts the most far-reaching influence of any. The Kuulik people govern it.

Capital: Narik Population: 693,220

Maercland

Maercland (🔊 MARK-land) sits on the northern coast, with the Ungirsi Federation on its southern border and Soltustik to the west. It is Grendel territory.

Capital: Sogis Kalasi Population: 3,558,426

Neutral Territory

The Neutral Territory includes any territories in Otan not claimed by a sovereign nation. Most of this territory is under ice or far from a source of fresh water.

Capital: Unknown Population: 9,356,565

Ontustik

The Caliphate of Ontustik (🔊 on-TOO-stik) is a southern nation bordering Karazalik. The Ontustikar people are the sole penitents (citizens).

Capital: Anar Population: 4,846,334

Ortalyk

The eastern and central nation of Ortalyk (🔊 or-TAHL-ik) boasts the largest population and the richest economy of any nation in Otan. Its citizens are Ortalykshilar.

Capital: Kala Astanals Population: 5,852,509

Quarrylands

The Quarrylants are administered by the League of Dweorgen (🔊 DWOR-ghen) Miners, consortium of mining guilds situated in south central Otan. It is populated by Dweorges.

Capital: Diamond City Population: 3,768,994

Shuwalu

The Shuwalu (🔊 shoo-WALL-oo) Brotherhood is a frozen northern refuge for the Tozakh people. It borders the Batis and Soltustik nations.

Capital: Nergal Population: 1,753,645

Sigis

The Sigis (🔊 SHY-jeese) Empire is a densely populated eastern nation steeped in tradition. The Sigis Turgundar people make up the Sigis population.

Capital: Asiltas Population: 2,730,228

Soltustik

The north-central Kingdom of Soltustik (🔊 salt-STIK) is ruled by the Muz Dynasty, from which the capital takes its name. It's known for its blond people and cold weather.

Capital: Muz Population: 4,530,866

Tosenis

A nation that is not a nation, Tosenis (🔊 tow-SAY-nis) fights for its very existence in southeast Batis. It is peopled by the feline Misiq people.

Capital: Korap Population: 9,750

Ungirsi

The Ungirsi (🔊 un-GEER-zee) Federation was formed after an exodus of the Ungir from the draconic territories of Altinqor. Its cities are mostly underground.

Capital: Negizi Ungir Population: 1,476,104

Otan Cosmology

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Otan History

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