Manix 101
Sun, Sky, Moon & Stars
The “sun” is a bright blue-white circle with a red ring in it’s center. It rises in the east, spirals around, circling the horizon and up into the sky and then spirals back around making a similar circuit and sets in the west. Just before sunrise, the green sky begins to appear opposite where the sun will rise, the green sky dominates the entire sky opposite the significantly smaller sun at all times and vanishes below the horizon shortly after sunset.
The moon is called Lyst, the daughter of the goddess Selune, she is a small blue moon that is most visible at night, though she can be seen clearly in the sky when she is in contrast with the green sky when it is behind her. Lyst begins her phases as a crescent moon (there is never a new moon phase) and waxes to a full moon and then wanes once again to that of a crescent.
Due to the nature of the spiraling orbit, the sun & green sky inhabit the same position in the sky twice per day, this would make discerning the actual time of day impossible, save for the contrast of the “orbit” of the moon of Lyst allows those who understand how to compare the positions of the suns and the moon to determine the time of day.
The stars and constellations in the sky never change. They simply rotate in the sky at night. They’re there, every night in the same circling positions they are every other night.
Seasons & Climates
Season do not follow a predictable cycle and their impact vary depending on geographical biome. It has been springtime in your region of the world as long as you or your parents (assuming you are human) can remember. You know of the other seasons. You have been taught that they have happened in the past here. You have heard tales of the distant land of Darshiniath, where it is always hot and wet or the lands of Noth, where it has never stopped snowing and the deserts of Tranzconox to the south, beyond the Sea of Lirsa where they say storms consist of lightning and sand instead of rain.
Coin & Commerce
Long ago, well before the rise and fall of the high magical era, the old kingdom of Katrica had established and shared a universal scale of coin, called the Katrican Banking Standard. While coins may be minted in different regions, have different names and appearances, they all adhere to this old banking system standard of weight and dimensions, insuring that all coins contain an identical quality and measure of the precious metal they are forged from. Thus you can spend two gold coins the same in Daltes as you can in Nycandria, Krive Del or Estland. Any attempts at forgery or tampering with this agreed upon coinage measure is punishable by the local government and the punishments vary from nation to nation, but they are always harsh.
Some nations also deal in promissory notes, drafted by counting houses or banks, both privately operated or controlled by guilds or government depending on what region one finds themselves in.
The following is the standard coinage exchange rate: Ten copper coins is the equivalence of one silver coin. Ten silver coins is the equivalence of one gold coin. Ten gold coins is the equivalence of one platinum coin.
Electrum coinage is recognized by the Katrica Banking Standard, though they are uncommon in modern commerce. One electrum coin is the equivalence of five silver coins.
Transportation
Mounts
There are numerous types of mounts used throughout Manix. Many varieties of horses can be found throughout Threxantra and are considered the norm in most human dominated regions. In Darshiniath they ride upon long lizards that run and leap across the terrain. The inhabitants of Salista Hoventesh prefer horses, worgs and the goblins ride lynx. The ogres and minotaurs of Krive Del ride massive, horned reptiles. The people of Zalcoryn breed chocobos, avian mounts created centuries ago through arcane science. They say that the nothgar ride yaks and/or large goats. Nakaltian dwarves ride upon small brown bears and their Nycandrian cousins ride small, stout ponies. The elves of Misanta ride sleek, pale deer. Camels are often used in Tranzconox, with gnomes often building elaborate platform saddles installed with many comforts. The desert gnomes also zip around upon large desert fox mounts. The cathian in Valexys breed highly intelligent horses that are said to be able to understand multiple languages. The mad artificers of Zalcoryn have created a variety of unusual mounts, such as horse proportioned canines, giant hamsters or gelatinous cubes. And possibly the strangest mounts of all, inhabitants of Dontholl Mex strap themselves to the bellies of large bats and fly.
There are tales of ancient orders of knights that rode upon pegasi, drakes, griffons and other fantastic mounts, but you have never seen one, much less someone astride the creature.
Vehicles
You've got your wagons, covered or uncovered, carts, coaches, chariots and other sundry of conveyances that you attach to one or more animals that you motivate to move forward. You have also heard stories of the massive steam spewing, iron carriages that travel upon metal tracks that run between mountain cities in Nakaltia.
Bards and sages will tell tales of old magics from before Anaya's Folly that allowed ships to fly through the air and arcane gateways that allowed travel between distant lands. Ruins and relics of these wonders still exist, such as the destroyed shissar spires in Talaria and Dontholl Mex, both reported to be regions where people sometimes mysteriously go missing.
