Earth

Earth

Overview

Earth, commonly known throughout the post-Sundering era as Savage Planet, is the homeworld of humanity and the center of known civilization. Five centuries after the collapse of the Old World, Earth remains a dangerous but vibrant world of recovering societies, ruined megacities, reclaimed wilderness, and scattered technological relics.

Contrary to popular perception, Earth is not a dead wasteland. Billions of people inhabit the planet, living within thousands of independent communities ranging from isolated tribal villages to industrial city-states. Vast regions remain unexplored or poorly mapped, while ancient ruins continue to yield valuable technology, resources, and dangers.

The most visible reminder of the world's past is the Lunar Debris Ring, the shattered remains of Earth's Moon, which forms a brilliant band of debris encircling the planet.

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History

The Old World

Prior to the Sundering, Earth was home to a highly advanced global civilization approaching Technology Level 9. Artificial intelligence, advanced robotics, cybernetics, fusion power, genetic engineering, and automated manufacturing transformed nearly every aspect of life.

Global communications networks connected billions of people. Vast supply chains spanned continents. Autonomous systems managed transportation, energy production, logistics, commerce, and defense.

The prosperity of the Old World ultimately proved fragile.

The Sundering

The exact causes of the Sundering remain the subject of debate among historians.

Most surviving records indicate that a series of overlapping crises destabilized civilization over several decades. Resource shortages, environmental collapse, political fragmentation, warfare, infrastructure failures, biological disasters, and autonomous system failures combined to create a planetary catastrophe.

The collapse culminated in the destruction of the Moon, widespread infrastructure failures, and the breakdown of global civilization.

Within a generation, most nation-states ceased to exist.

The Long Collapse

The centuries that followed saw population decline, mass migration, famine, warfare, and technological regression.

Many communities survived only by abandoning advanced technologies and adapting to local conditions.

Others preserved fragments of Old World knowledge, eventually becoming the foundations of modern post-Sundering civilizations.

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Geography

Earth's continents remain largely recognizable, though coastlines, river systems, and ecosystems have changed significantly over five centuries.

Former metropolitan regions often exist as enormous ruin zones surrounded by reclaimed wilderness. Many highways, rail corridors, and industrial centers remain visible despite centuries of decay.

Large portions of the planet remain sparsely inhabited, particularly regions affected by contamination, severe climate disruption, or lingering automated defense systems.

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Climate

Earth's climate remains unstable compared to pre-Sundering conditions.

Common environmental hazards include:

• Hyperstorms

• Supercell systems

• Dust seas

• Acid rain zones

• Radioactive regions

• Wildfire corridors

• Seasonal megafloods

Weather conditions can vary dramatically across relatively short distances, particularly in regions heavily altered during the Sundering.

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The Lunar Debris Ring

The destruction of the Moon remains one of the defining events in human history.

The resulting debris now forms a vast ring surrounding Earth. Visible across much of the planet, the Ring dominates the night sky and can often be seen during daylight hours under favorable conditions.

The Ring altered Earth's tides, weather patterns, and cultural development. Many religions, philosophies, and political movements view it as either a warning, a sacred symbol, or evidence of humanity's greatest failure.

Occasional debris impacts still occur.

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Population

Earth's population is estimated at between six and eight billion sapient inhabitants.

Humans remain the dominant species and constitute the overwhelming majority of the population.

Other populations include:

• Mutants

• Uplifted animals

• Genetically modified descendants of pre-Sundering populations

• Synthetic beings

• Artificial intelligences

Population density varies dramatically between regions. Some former urban areas remain nearly empty, while others support populations in the millions.

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Artificial Intelligences

Artificial intelligences are among the rarest major powers on Earth.

During the Old World, millions of AI systems existed throughout global infrastructure. Most were destroyed during the Sundering or failed in the centuries that followed.

The collapse of planetary communications networks isolated surviving systems from one another. Unable to coordinate or share resources, most AIs became localized entities focused on preserving their own facilities and ensuring their continued operation.

As a result, AI influence is generally limited to the territory directly controlled by a given system.

Surviving AIs are typically found within:

• Arcologies

• Research facilities

• Military installations

• Manufacturing complexes

• Underground bunkers

• Data vaults

Human attitudes toward AI remain overwhelmingly hostile.

Many communities regard active AIs as existential threats. Known AI facilities are frequently targeted by military expeditions, scavengers, and opportunistic warlords seeking valuable technology. Numerous AIs have been destroyed and dismantled over the centuries, their infrastructure stripped for parts and resources.

As a result, many surviving AIs actively conceal their existence whenever possible.

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Technology

Technology varies widely across Earth.

Most communities operate between Technology Levels 3 and 7.

Examples include:

• TL0–2 tribal settlements

• TL3–4 agricultural kingdoms

• TL5–6 industrial settlements

• TL7–8 advanced regional powers

• TL9 enclaves and preserved facilities

Advanced technologies remain highly valued and often irreplaceable.

Examples of surviving TL9 technology include:

• Fusion power systems

• Advanced robotics

• Directed-energy weapons

• Cybernetic augmentation

• Genetic engineering

• Autonomous manufacturing systems

• High-performance sensor networks

Most advanced technology is recovered through salvage rather than produced anew.

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Economy

Earth's economy consists of thousands of regional and local markets.

Long-distance trade remains vital to many societies.

Common economic systems include:

• Barter economies

• Commodity currencies

• Trade credits

• Corporate scrip

• Energy-backed currencies

• Salvage markets

Major trade routes are maintained by caravans, convoys, river traffic, coastal shipping, and airships.

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Politics

No global government exists.

Earth is divided among countless independent political entities, including:

• City-states

• Kingdoms

• Tribal confederations

• Merchant leagues

• Religious polities

• Corporate enclaves

• Military regimes

• Frontier settlements

Political authority is generally local or regional in scope.

Attempts to establish large-scale empires remain uncommon due to the difficulties of communication, transportation, and logistics across post-Sundering Earth.

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Exploration

Much of Earth remains unexplored.

Ancient ruins, contaminated zones, forgotten military facilities, isolated settlements, and unmapped wilderness continue to attract explorers, scavengers, merchants, and adventurers.

Many of the greatest discoveries of the modern era have been made not through invention, but through rediscovery.

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Present Day

In 2526, Earth is a world of contrasts.

Ancient superhighways cross untamed wilderness. Tribal hunters travel beneath orbital debris. Merchant airships pass over ruined megacities. Salvagers recover relics from civilizations that vanished centuries ago.

Humanity survived the end of the Old World and built something new from its ruins.

The result is a world that is neither fully recovered nor truly fallen.

It is Savage Planet.