Middle Earth

Middle-earth is a harsh, violent, and deeply human world. Far from magical fantasy, it is a reflection of the rawest history of the Middle Ages, where survival is tough, power is imposed by force and faith, and life is marked by the constant struggle against hunger, climate, war, and inequality. It is composed of two main continents and multiple islands surrounding both, with drastically different landscapes and civilizations forged by their environment.

Solarium, to the south, is a varied, warm, and fertile continent. Its geography encompasses golden savannas, dense temperate forests, scorching deserts, and fertile plateaus. Here empires, city-states, commercial republics, and great feudal kingdoms flourish. It is the center of trade, court intrigue, intensive agriculture, and the first universities. The sun guides its religions, and its peoples have learned to master iron and large-scale trade.

Oblivion, to the north, is a hostile and mountainous land, where cold and snow are eternal. The mountains dominate the landscape, separating warrior clans that survive in caverns, fortresses, and hidden valleys. It is a continent governed by tradition, strength, and blood oaths. Societies are tribal, united by necessity, honor, and resistance to an implacable climate. Here are born the toughest blacksmiths and the most resilient warriors, molded by scarcity and ice.

Surrounding both continents are archipelagos, many of them still ununified, filled with pirates, independent merchants, isolated cultures, or forgotten ruins.

Middle-earth is a place where iron is worth more than gold, a pledged word weighs like lead, and every day lived can be a story written in blood, sweat, or parchment.

Main Languages of Middle-earth

1. Velkario (South Solarium)

Alphabet: Square letter, similar to classical Greek, 24 characters.

Pronunciation: Broad vocalic, /ae/ and /ou/ common. Example: "Caerus" is pronounced "Káiros".

Way of speaking: Formal, with emphasis on titles and hierarchical respect.

Writing: Handwritten on parchment or carved in marble.

Poetry/Singing: Epic odes written in heroic distichs; sung in choirs with lyres and flutes.

2. Skarnik (Mountainous Oblivion)

Alphabet: Runic, 16 symbols with angular strokes, engraved in stone or wood.

Pronunciation: Gutural, use of /kh/, /rr/, and closed vowels. Example: "Hrukk" = "Strength".

Way of speaking: Direct and brief, with combat phrases and tribal proverbs.

Writing: Scarce, more orality; ceremonial inscriptions.

Poetry/Singing: Battle songs ("Drakkur") and funeral chants with skin drums.

3. Ernesian (Ernas and Sal-Turien)

Alphabet: Cursive with Arabic calligraphic influence; 28 letters.

Pronunciation: Rhythmic, musical, with soft consonants and long vowels.

Way of speaking: Persuasive, refined, used in commerce and diplomacy.

Writing: Ink and papyrus or treated leather.

Poetry/Singing: Rhymed verse in quatrains ("Qallir"); recited in squares with dance.

Major Religions and Calendars

1. Solarism (Solarium - Velkaris, Iverdan)

Gods: Monotheism with the worship of the Sun god, called Kaelis. Considered giver of life and justice.

Sacred: Fire, midday, blood spilled in just duel.

Prohibitions: Eating raw meat, killing without a duel, speaking during eclipses.

Festivities: Spring Equinox (Aurem), Day of Solar Judgment (Kaelum), harvest celebrations.

Calendar: Solar year of 360 days, divided into 12 months of 30 days.

2. Pantheon of Skarn (Oblivion - tribal clans)

Gods: Brutalist polytheism.

Hrulgar: god of war.

Nithra: goddess of cold and dreams.

Torrek: god of steel and oaths.

Sacred: Ancient ice, clan blood, mountains.

Prohibitions: Betraying pacts, touching corpses without ritual, desecrating weapons.

Festivities: The First Ice Hunt, Rite of the Flames, Dawn Song.

Calendar: Year of 300 days divided into six seasons of 50 days, governed by gods.

3. Cult of the Written Word (Ernas and Sal-Turien)

Gods: Henotheism. A supreme god Aun'Sahir, lord of knowledge, and multiple minor spirits.

Sacred: Manuscripts, black ink, ritual silences.

Prohibitions: Destroying books, reading aloud sacred texts, lying under oath.

Festivities: Day of the First Text, Ceremony of Silence, Feast of the Lexicon.

Calendar: Lunar years of 354 days, organized by phases and eclipses.