The world in which the story of The Order of the Stick takes place is a spherical planet located on the Prime Material Plane.
History[]
- Main article: Timeline
The present world was created by the collective effort of gods from the three pantheons — Northern, Southern and Western. Only a few mortals, such as the Sapphire Guard and the Order of the Stick, know that this world is not actually the first world the gods made, and that in addition to being a residence for mortals, it doubles as a dimensional prison for the Snarl, an entity born of divine disagreement and infighting that, at the Dawn of Time, destroyed the first world the gods made, and eradicated the entire Eastern Pantheon. To avoid a similar fate for the present world, the gods took turns when coming up with creative ideas for the present world, thus preventing the formation of a new Snarl, but resulting in the world becoming a fantasy kitchen sink (such as the presence of ninjas awkwardly inserted into a medieval knights-and-castles theme).[1]
Even fewer mortals know an even more terrible truth — that the present world is not even the second world the gods made, as believed by the Sapphire Guard and the Order of the Stick, but that the gods created countless other worlds between the first one and the present one, and every one of them was eventually destroyed, either by the Snarl, or the gods to prevent the Snarl from destroying the souls of all the people in the world.[2]
Over sixty years prior to the present day, rifts in the Snarl's prison appeared throughout the world[1], like they had on every world prior.[3] The Order of the Scribble formed in response and constructed the five Gates to seal the rifts. In the present day, Xykon and Redcloak are trying to exploit the Gates, and through them the Snarl, for their own nefarious purposes.
Geography[]
The world consists of two major landmasses, separated by the Wet Sea. The larger landmass is traditionally counted as two continents, the Northern Continent and the Southern Continent, separated by the Division Mountains.
Each of the three pantheons only has direct influence over one of the three continents — the Northern Pantheon rules the Northern Continent, and so on. To exert their will outside these boundaries, the gods use mortal followers called clerics.
Northern Continent[]
- Main article: Northern Continent
The Northern Continent is the primary setting of the first two story arcs, Dungeon Crawlin' Fools (which takes place entirely inside the Dungeon of Dorukan) and No Cure for the Paladin Blues, as well as the sixth story arc, Utterly Dwarfed.
It is the place of origin for Roy, Haley, Elan and Durkon. Most of its territory consists of lands themed after the traditional European fantasy D&D experience, split into nations with strange names like Somewhere, Anywhere, Nowhere and Someplace Else. Cliffport and Greysky City after farther south, on the way to the Southern Continent, and the Dwarven Lands are located in mountains in the far north.
Southern Continent[]
- Main article: Southern Continent
The Southern Continent is the primary setting of the third story arc, War and XPs, and a large part of the fourth story arc, Don't Split the Party.
It is primarily Asian influenced. Its northern half once made the Ancient Empire[4], which, by the present day, has split into Azurite Territory, ruled from Azure City, and the Realm of the Dragon. Other sizable territories on the Southern Continent are the Peripheral Frontier and the Raja Kingdom.
Recently, Azure City was conquered by Team Evil in the Battle of Azure City and resettled by goblinoids (mostly hobgoblins), who founded the nation of Gobbotopia on its former territory.[5]
Western Continent[]
- Main article: Western Continent
The Western Continent is the primary setting of the fifth story arc, Blood Runs in the Family.
It is split into two politically isolated areas by the Goaway Mountains, which separate the forested Elven Lands in the north (where Vaarsuvius comes from) and the Great Barren Desert. The livable scraps of land around the latter are highly politically unstable, with nations with cheesy names like Tyrinaria, Cruelvania and Dictatoria popping in and out of existence. Few know that much of the infighting between the nations on the Western Continent is in fact part of a scheme perpetrated by the Vector Legion, whose members aim to divide the land into three nations they secretly control as royal advisors.[6]
References[]
| The World
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| Northern Continent · Southern Continent · Western Continent |