The world of Tellaia

Medieval mapmakers had peculiar ideas about the world. Ever since the ancient Greeks, they knew that the world was round. However, to them the point of a map was to visually depict God's creation. Mappa Mundi were a type of medieval and renaissance map that divided the world into three continents (Asia, Europe and Africa) to reflect the threefold nature of God. They drew the east at the top of the map, where they presumed that the Garden of Eden was, even if no-one was quite sure exactly whereabouts. This visually showed how man had fallen by leaving the Garden, and also associated it with the dawn. Jerusalem, where Christ died on the cross, was shown at the centre of the map, at the point where the three continents met. They knew about the equator, but assumed that it was an impassible ring of fire that would burn up anyone near it. And they believed in the Antipodes, a continent to counter-balance the northern hemisphere - although there was much debate about whether anyone would actually be able to live there.

Tellaia, the world of Dragon Princes, assumes that this is roughly what the world actually looks like. Tirenia (Italy) is located in approximately the same place relative to the equator, so that it can have the same climate, and Auromia is considered to be the centre of the world, not Jerusalem. The rest of the world is twisted around so that Japan is at the north pole, and the south pole is past Gibraltar. The First City, which equates to Atlantis, is depicted as being somewhere in the northern hemisphere, but the equatorial heat means that exploration of the northern continent is poor at best. Some church dogma holds that the Divine One split the world like this to ensure no one could ever get back. A lot of Africa, on the other hand, is a lot more temperate than in our world. This has allowed greater contact between these continents, with the Gold Road, Tellaia's equivalent of the Silk Road trade route, reaching deep into Africa. Niccolo Defusah, Tirenia's answer to Marco Polo, has explored this way. This also means that the world is more ignorant of the gold dragon emperor and his armies in China.

This leads to some very interesting changes to the world. Spain is now very cold, while European Russia is on the equator. Parts of South America will be covered by ice, and Australia will be freezing, while Antactica will be covered in rainforests in some areas! The plan is to keep the cultures recognisable, but changed enough by their new climate that they are distinct from their real-world analogues. Hopefully I can find a globe to convert, which will give me more ideas about what this means for Tellaia!

Image: Mappa Mundi from 'La Fleur des Histoires.' Anonymous, c. 1460.