Valéa:

Background information

Pronounced "Val-aye-ah," this is a planet that I made up for fun and games. So far I have a main world map, nine main nations, some characters, a few fauna, a language system, religion, and a bunch of other stuff. The main timeline of the story(ish) is set thousands of years into the future. Since Valéa is a planet in another galaxy that has humans on it, one might ask how humans got there. Uhh space ships, obviously?? Humans had to get off of Earth (I will make no further elaborations as to why they left because it will freak me out,) and so a ship of around 3,000 people left as a last resort. After several years of space travel (though many lightyears away, people figured out how to speed up the process,) they arrived on a lush world, originally calling it "Vernland" (how unique lol.) Many people vowed not to take too much from the planet, as to not have a redo of Earth, but some could not manage living without the systems they'd grown up with. The group split into two after a couple hundred years, one side using modern technology, while the others learned to live without such resources.

Basics

Valéa is a planet very similar to Earth in most ways: size, temperatures, fauna and flora, chemicals, etc. There are big differences also, like the biomes, types of water, other intelligent species, and the fact that the other hemisphere of the world is uninhabitable due to thick and dangerous forests. Humans seem to age and mature slower on Valéa and live longer, (which may or may not have anything to do with the time, but the lifestyles.) Most/all cultures in Valéa don't consider individuals adults until age 20, while 18 and 19 are still developmental and for later years of schooling. The current year in the timeline is 3601 (which would be over 5600 C.E.) and on Valéa there are 26 hours in a day, and 10 months in a year, with about 41 days per month (the other two go to Uni); a total of 412 days a year. (Months in order: Uni [Oo-nee]- the first month, Mars- the month of rain, Verro [Vehr-oh]- the month of labor, Pothus [Poh-thus]- the month of green, Herz’a [Air-zah]- the halfway point, Laya [Lae-ah]- the month of harvest, Septary [Sep-tahry]- the month of education, Rally [Ral-ee]- the month of new beginnings, Adim [Ah-deem]- the month of change, and Edes [Ay-dees]- the month of victory.)

The Voyage

The ship which brought first 3,628 to people was called Exodus 1 and took four years, two months, and 19 days to arrive at its destination. Though no one died, twenty-seven were born on the ship: stellarborns. Post-arrival, after the human population started to expand, people began calling their elders Earthborn because of such a birthplace. Exodus 1 was basically one big space cruise ship that was also capable of landing on the planet's surface itself. (Science! it's in the future anyway, don't worry, the researchers figured it out.) Aboard were ten captains from around Earth, most being astronauts, astrophysicists, etc. People slept in pods, not rooms, to save space, and there was enough food for four years and five months. Fuel started becoming eerily low towards the end of the journey, but it's not like it was a two way trip.

History of the Nations

There are nine main (human-run) nations on Valéa. Many are kingdoms, some are empires, and fewer are republics. After landing on Valéa, The Founders made agreements, pacts, and wrote the book Vernlaw to try and help guide the future generations of the planet. The main takeaways from the book are: don't destroy this planet like you destroyed Earth, work together democratically, do not kill the innocent, and accept the identities of others. Knowing humans, you can probably guess that The Founders' plans didn't exactly go so straight forward down the line. As the human population expanded, explorers were sent to map out the entire continent, and were almost successful. People started moving east, creating new groups, cultures, and dialects. The first war was in the year 189 (or 189 years after landing on Valéa,) over resources. A society in modern-day Metrova wanted to branch out in industrialization, even though that went against Vernlaw code, and so fighting broke out. Modern-day Sathia was formed out of opposition to Metrova's plans, and ultimately lost after two years. Metrova remains the most industrialized out of all the states, but not as high-tech as the world we live in today. They have trains, electricity, vehicles to create large scale structures, and certain scientific/medical instruments. They prosper, but at a high cost that many other nations still look down on.

Geography/chemistry

(Disclaimer: I'm no scientist so some of this information might not be scientfically possible, but it's a fantasy world anyway so what does it matter.) The atmosphere of Valéa is just about the same as Earth, just a slightly higher concentration of oxygen. The ozone layer (or whatever the equivalent would be,) is slightly thinner as well, leading to a lot of places on and an in water having a higher average temperature, kind of like some periods of prehistoric Earth. (I'm thinking carboniferous period maybe.) The oceans are more freshwater than any other kind. There are saltwater lakes/bays in certain areas of the mainland, but aren't very common. (A lot of Inkwell borders salt ocean and the salty Eel Bay.) There are other kinds of water, some hypersaline, some chlorine, mineralized, and more. The other large continent is on the other side of Valéa and filled with dense flora around the edges for over 10km, then opens into meadow lands. Human explorers have yet to make to through the wall, and have had little contact with life on the other face of the planet. Valéa itself formed around three billion years ago and is within the solar system of Icarian, the star. There are five main planets in the system and Valéa is second closest to the sun. The sun is not going anywhere anytime soon.

Biomes...

Leaf’lands: flat or hilly areas that have large, peace-lily like leaves as the vegetation with moss and small flowers growing on the ground. Leaves can be up to twenty feet tall, but aren’t considered to be trees because they’re just really big leaves.

Grassy Dunes: basically lake michigan beach-esque grasses and sandy soil. Not to be confused with dunes which are only sand.

Sand Dunes: miles of golden-brown sand. Stereotypical Earth sandy desert but with a twist.

Yeiwinds: Open land similar to the dunes, but they have different grassy vegetation and creeks/low rivers throughout. Like the name suggests, it is quite windy and prone to typical thunder storms.

Basalt Planes: tundra-like grasslands with dark soil made up of basalt. Arid with open patches of rock.

...and Climates/Weather

Salt storms: instead of rain, there are purpley-brown crystals of salt-like hailstones that pierce through the sky.

Zakzar

A kingdom located in the southern and coastal areas of the mainland.

1. Geography: Grassy dunes, temperate deltas, some areas arid and desert-like: subtropical deserts, two large oases where the most populous cities are located. (Though there are oases located throughout the entire kingdom.) Coastal areas are more of a Mediterranean like, some mountainous and abundant in cliffs in the southern regions. White and gold sand beaches. Sci-fi/fantasy biomes are on their way. Give me some time lol.


2. Architecture: most buildings are created out of sandstone, mud, and Juna wood. (inspired by Moroccan Islamic, traditional Iranian/Persian, and Sicilian architecture.) In flatter sandy areas, houses imitate dunes, with the living space itself underground, while a pointed roof with skylights protects them from sandstorms and other harsh weather that may occur.


3. Main crops grown: Thera (rice like grain used in many foods,) citrus, silks from Juna cacti, and certain dyes.


4. Clothing: Usually made from Juna silk, traditional clothing is flowy and ends at the knees or just above. Young children usually wear lighter or paler colors to protect them from any predators that might be in the surrounding lands. Young children will also wear/have masks and wing-like capes to help protect them as well. Geometric and sun patterns are seen throughout all types of clothing. Adults will wear head scarves in order to protect themselves from the sun when working. In cooler, cloudier months, people will wear shirts with shorter sleeves and shorter pants. Common colors found in regular clothing include: purple, dark and light green, yellow, red, and tans. Dark red and gold are seen as royal colors. Black is worn only for special occasions. It is more common for women to be the ones wearing dresses, but also not strange if men or others do as well.


5. Currency: Saltstone coin (“chips”) (international currency,) and sometimes "Jade" coins.


6. Rural/Semi-Nomadic People: Towards the center of the kingdom is the largest desert on the planet. The very middle of it is inhabitable, but the outskirts and caves within are occupied. The city of Sunup is the most populated in rural Zaksar, and is known for its trade hub, silks, and variety of people. Smaller villages/groups of people live in sand dune-like buildings to help with the sandstorms and heat (as described above).


7. Politics: Zaksar is a semi-constitutional monarchy that is fair to the people, has a council, but the monarch ultimately has the final call and most power. The Astef Council is made up of 24 main members, the monarch, and one representative from each main trade city. In the year 3552 King Haj died without any heir, leading to a scramble for power for two main groups, the group led by Loisu Quil and the group which lost. Loisu used quite a bit of force, but eventually came to complete control by 3556, establishing a Council and royal family. The current monarch is Queen Vera of Quil who took over after her mother fell ill suddenly and died within a week, never to be diagnosed, but many suspect it was due to poisoning. Her death is still speculated about.


8. Education: children are put in first school when they are six until the age of fourteen. After they finish, they either go into the workforce (less common,) or go to secondary school from the ages of fifteen to twenty. First school usually has shorter school days and more rest time, while secondary is slightly harsher. The required subjects are maths, biology, language, history, and music. Students take other classes based on what they plan to do after school is over. Private schools are schools centered around Vitaeism (religion), or a foreign religion (outside of Zaksar), or one specific main subject.


9. Society: Queer identities are widely accepted (and a part of Vitaeism,) most families are maternal. Smaller villages help raise all children together, but children will live with biological parents, siblings, or any other biological members that want to be in their life. There are no clear male or female jobs, but women tend to lead more to caretaker and teaching roles. (A father that is the main caretaker of a child is called a “seahorse,” mothers a “roo.” Gender neutral parents are called "robins.") Elders are to be respected, but wiser young people can also have similar positions if they pass certain qualifications. Most elders are gardeners or cooks, and many are storytellers. Racial and sex equality (race by color isn’t really a thing, it’s more about where you were born,) but women are still expected to have children, even if they won’t always be the one taking care of them. The more children that one has, the more respected a woman becomes within her community because of the strength it shows. Marriage is most definitely present, but not as valued in some other cultures. (Royals are expected to get married to only one person, arranged marriages for them are not uncommon.) Marriage is for love only, and weddings are celebrations of life and love of two people “binding their souls.” Divorce is seen as a sorry thing. It is not uncommon for couples to be unmarried and have children. Music is incredibly valued and important, and dance is seen as the physical interpretation of such, being almost as important as music itself. Dance and music tell stories of the gods and the past and struggle and hope. Each village is usually fairly tight knit and somewhat communist and has its own traditions and ways of life in addition to what has been listed.


10. I have even more information to come.

Religion

Vitaeism (“Vee-tay-ism,” Vitist,) is a polytheistic religion which revolves around the four "main" elements: Earth, Water, Light (Sun/Fire), and Botany. There is believed to be a god of each element, and each person is connected with a certain element. That element is determined during a ceremony when finishing secondary school, and guides them throughout the rest of their life. They believe in reincarnation, the idea that everything in the universe is reused and so are spirits. People make small shrines anywhere that seems to have strong spiritual energy, and do not go to temples of worship. Other religions are in the land of Zaksar by travel and immigration, but most are not even close to being as widespread as Vitaeism. All gods are referred to as gender neutral. The religion does not come from humans, but rather the Intelligent Species which was the main ruler of Valéa pre-humanity. (More on that later.) The humans gradually picked it up, like any religion, though some were desperate for something to follow and converted whole societies. (I have not yet decided whether or not I want religion to be canon, or rather just a belief system. If it is real in the world of Valéa, the gods would actually just be super over powered creatures with insane and "magical" abilities.)

• God of Light: Sol (light, life, sometimes weather, sun.)
• God of Water: Azu (water, bodies of water, weather.)
• God of Earth: Terreus (rock, soil, fauna, etc.)
• God of Flora: Ilex “Ee-leih” (plants, harvest, healing, life/rebirth more specifically, etc.)

Are you feeling lost?

Take the train home.

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