Ninth World



The Ninth World is a planet located in the Solar System. At one point in its history, a billion years in the past, the planet was called Earth by its humans inhabitants.

Background
Eight great civilizations have risen and fallen on Earth. Even though the current inhabitants live at about a Medieval level of technology, the leftover remnants of these advanced societies lie all around them. Some of these are extremely helpful : advanced tools, valuable means of communication and learning, transportation, defenses, and weapons. Others are dangerous: genetically altered monstrosities, flesh-warping radiation, creatures transplanted from distant stars, and clouds of out-of-control nanobots, just to name a few.

Geography
In the time of the Ninth World, the land masses of the planet have returned to form a vast supercontinent surrounded by seemingly endless seas with extremely dangerous storms. But is the Earth in the configuration it is because of natural forces and simply the march of time or did some prior civilization design it to be so? Certainly the ancient inhabitants of the so-called “prior worlds” had the ability to shape their planet – and likely other planets – as they saw fit. Proof of this is everywhere. “Impossible” landscapes are a normal part of the Ninth World’s topography. Islands of crystal float in the sky. Inverted mountains rise up above plains of broken glass. Abandoned structures the size of kingdoms stretch across distances so great that they affect the weather. Massive machines, some still active, churn and hum. But for what purpose?

The Ninth World can be divided into two main regions:
 * The Steadfast - A collection of kingdoms and principalities along the southeastern coast
 * The Beyond - A vast wilderness punctuated by very occasional, very isolated communities

Trivia

 * A year on the Ninth World lasts 313 days, each spreading on 28 hours.
 * The Ninth World's sky is filled with still-orbiting satellites.

Behind the scenes
The Ninth World is the principal location of the Numenera setting.