Vortekka

I will return to Antikythera Nova eventually, but I wrote this micro-setting for a one-shot I ran recently (play report soon), so I thought I'd share this first. Because this blends some of my older writing (my synopsis for Vortekka as a Place in Phantasmos, Zapatotians as an Intelligent Species in Phantasmos), I think it could use some touching up- the synopsis in particular could be "punchier". Maybe I'll eventually rewrite it, but for now I think it's good enough to post as-is.

Synopsis

Vortekka is a world surrounded by a vortex of multi-colored, shimmering, luminescent ocean dotted with islands. It has a land mass core of a series of disjointed plates floating in place. Life exists both on the plates, and on the inner-surface of the vortex. From the core, the sky appears like the inside of a massive surfing wave. The centripetal and centrifugal forces between the vortex and core allow for gravity on both planes. After reaching a critical distance away from their respective source of gravity, objects are pulled in the opposite direction. This has created a three-dimensional ecosystem blurring the lines between land, air, and sea. It’s a world of late-17th century-styled adventures of pirates and privateers, with a dash of high fantasy and steampunk. A world largely unexplored, where every island is a unique ecosystem challenging pre-conceived notions evolutionary adaptation.

Species

Humans: The dominant intelligent lifeform of the central landmass. Only recently have they developed the magi-technologies to reach the inner surface of the vortex, bringing about a new age of growth and exploration. Unlike the halflings, they are more concerned with the discovery of lands to settle and resources to exploit, rather than discovery and scientific inquiry. They are the most magi-technologically advanced species, but the least adapted to life on the vortex.

Zapatotians: Orangutan-sized land-dwelling octopi. Their eyes have adapted to above-water light and visual conditions. They breath air, but also have vestigial gills. They have long torsos, and hind tentacles differentiated such that their two lateral hind tentacles are longer, capable of snake-like locomotion, and of raising the body such that their beaks are raised above ground. Their front tentacles are utilized for carrying objects. They are fast on the ground and swinging in the trees, have powerful beaks, and are expert hunters in forests and jungles. Their society is simple, stone-age or barbarian-esque, but they are not necessarily unintelligent. Even in direct combat they are excellent warriors. In the modern era, they are often employed as mercenaries by other factions.

Indri (halflings): Halfling-sized lemur-like humanoids. They have large eyes, protruding snouts, strong, elongated limbs, and large rounded ears. They are more magi-technologically advanced than the zapatotians but less so than humans and are likewise more adapted to life on the vortex than humans, but less agile traversing the island jungles and forests than the zapatotians. They have a shamanistic and scientific culture and have taken it upon themselves to catalog life across all the islands on the vortex.

            Korora (penguins): Penguin-like amphibious creatures averaging over 7’ tall with short limbs and pear-shaped bodies. They have short but powerful beaks with rows of sharp teeth, blueish scales, and white bellies. They are the least maneuverable of the major intelligent species on land, but the most adept in water. Their scales also provide strong natural armour. They are generally simple people with simple wants and needs, but given their size, relative intelligence, and amphibious nature, they are perhaps the most thriving civilization on the vortex surface.

Sharks: A species of imperfect shapeshifters. They are always hairless, and no matter the form they take, they always have the gaping, toothy grin and cold, flat eyes of a shark. With the right costume and a bit of magic, some sharks can disguise their form enough to be passable as whatever species they are mimicking. Little is known of their civilization except that it exists somewhere deep within the vortex. They seem to be primarily interested in spying on and manipulating the island peoples on the surface of the vortex towards some malicious end. With the recent discovery of the humans, they may even have begun to explore the floating core.

Magi-technology and Ecology

            Between the competing centripetal and centrifugal forces and the air currents of the vortex, it is easier to take flight on Vortekka than on Earth but flying creatures must be heavier and stronger to control their flight. As a result, large, flying animals of all kinds are common, including those as adept in the sea as they are on land or in the air. Apart from these more ubiquitous creatures, life across the small and vastly distant islands has evolved each in relative isolation. Usually there is one large, dominant land-dwelling species or a social, intelligent species, and many smaller species, including flying or aquatic creatures too small or weak to be able to travel far, adapted hyper-specifically to the concerns of their island. Except for the larger aerial or aquatic beasts and their effects on the ecosystem, life on the floating core is more like life on the continents of Earth.

            While the air currents make it easier to take flight from the vortex than from on the core, the limited space and lack of natural resources across the islands has kept the intelligent species on the vortex islands from developing the necessary magi-technology to launch towards the core. Only in the last 50 years have humans developed the magi-technology to reach the vortex, and it is still an expensive and inefficient process. As a result, the human colonists, privateers, and explorers on the surface have limited communication with the core and cannot rely on assistance.

            To go from the core to the vortex, individuals in winged flightsuits must literally be rocketed into the air, and although the process has been refined, it is still not uncommon for the rockets to explode or fail to launch far enough to pull the rocketeer into the centrifugal force of the vortex.

            From the vortex, larger one or two-person aerial vehicles, like a cross between a canoe, sailboat, and biplane, can take flight without the need for a rocket. Likewise, individuals in flight suits can be launched from moving watercraft like paragliders. Some ingenious individuals have even developed transformable mechanical suits (mecha), smaller than airplanes but larger than a flight suit. Although often still somewhat bulky and impractical, the versatility of mecha in air, sea, and land have made them valuable assets on a ship. However, the technology is yet to be standardized and mass produced.

            Naval ships, airplanes, mecha, flightsuits, and these other technologies are often facilitated using magic and alchemy. Outside of fairytales and legends, most magic is relatively simple, practical, and mundane. Likewise, while humans on the core are starting to develop steam technology and have conceived of even greater technologies using resources like demon water and lightning, in the present these are little more than pipe-dreams.