It’s Wednesday, and I haven’t posted anything for Emperor Mollusk Month!! yet. Where does the time go? Apologies, folks.
Today, let’s talk about Terra, the world you and I might know as Earth. Emperor’s Terra is not quite our world, though it’s similar in most regards. But just as the Sol System is filled with populated planets, so Terra is a place where myth, legend, and pulp science fiction collide. It is a world teeming with lost civilizations and many different intelligent races. This is what made it so appealing to Emperor. Terra is a universe unto itself, and while the other worlds of the system have a lot to offer, Terra is filled to the brim with adventure and discovery.
The most plentiful and widespread natives are the Terra Sapiens. Their numbers mean they’re usually called Terrans, though this term applies to the numerous other races as well. Still, if you say Terran, you’re usually referring to the Terra Sapiens (or humans, as we call them in our universe).
The history of the Terra Sapiens is mostly identical to our own, but there are differences. The British Empire once had a war with both the Spanish and the fleets of Atlantis. The Mole People sacked Rome at least three times. And aliens from other worlds have been attempting to conquer the planet for thousands of years. Nearly every intelligent race in the system has attempted to claim Terra. None have ever quite succeeded. The Martians held Toronto for a week in 1974 before finally being repelled. Despite their inferior technology, the Terrans have a resolve (coupled with an occasional genius, contrived bit of science) and the ability to band together that no other race in the system does.
How Emperor finally conquered the Terrans is a secret I’ll leave for the book to explain.
Atlantis sank into the ocean less than five hundred years ago. Its inhabitants, the Atlantese, are a mercantile people. In particular, those living on the small bit of surface land available (the highest point of the continent remains just above water) are unapologetic capitalists. The Atlantese living below the surface are less so, but they’re so busy paying for oxygen and waterproofing that they don’t have much voice. Even the Atlantese army is run like a business with promotion coming from running profitable operations. Atlantis has the most advanced technology native to Terra, but it doesn’t have to resources except to field a few mercenary units, so it’s no longer a threat to the rest of Terra.
Terra is also home to the Undersphere Kingdoms, where the mole people live. There are two distinct nations of mole people living below the surface. Emperor has had dealings with the larger nation. He was content to leave them alone and in return, they didn’t rise out of the depths to fight him with their drill tanks and leviathans lurking deep below. The mole people have never been especially hostile to the surface world, and they couldn’t care less who is running things above. But Emperor made a favorable impression on them and as a gift, they presented him with a royal ultrapede. This rare creature is a giant insect bred to act as a protector and companion to the Undersphere’s royal family. Emperor was the first surface dweller to receive such a gift. Snarg quickly became his most loyal and trusted ally.
In Africa, the Everlasting Dynasty is the oldest empire still worth noting on Terra, though it’s not much of an empire at this point. Ruled by the immortal Queen Serket, the dynasty’s strength has always been the mysterious spring that provides waters with mystical properties. The waters are the key to every bit of dynastic scientific advancement. With it, they have the ability to create living stone statues, genetically modify insects (especially scorpions), and create a wide variety of improbable death rays powered by the sun and crystals. While this gave them an edge at the dawn of Terran history, it soon proved less reliable than traditional technology. The dark secret of the Everlasting Dynasty is that they’ve never really understood how their technology works, so innovation eventually crawled to a standstill while the rest of Terra pushed forward. Emperor has offered to take a look at the water that powers it, but the dynasty sees its technology as sacred and beyond mortal comprehension. While they aren’t a threat to the rest of the world, they can still defend themselves. In the last days of WWII, the desperate Nazis attempted to invade the Everlasting Dynasty. It was a disastrous failure. After that, the dynasty has been left alone by the rest of Terra.
There are so many other wonders on Terra, we could be here all day.
Dinosaur Island, where a space-time anomaly and rampant radiation have created a dangerous land of mutant dinosaurs.
Or The Sasquatch Nations, located in the area you and I would know as North and South Dakota.
There’s the hidden paradise of Shambhala in the Himalayas, where the monks live in peace and isolation, drawing on a mysterious energy field that only Emperor Mollusk could finally understand and tame (and even then, only barely).
And then there’s the secret of the Eiffel Tower itself. Or of the strange creatures that live below the Antarctic continent.
It is a world of mysteries. It is Emperor’s world. Whether he likes it or not.
Keelah Se’lai
Fighting the good fight, Writing the good write,
Lee
