The other side of the world

[RatElemental]

As we can see in this strip (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0639.html), both the western continent and the continent comprising the "north" and the "south" are on the same half of the globe that is ootsworld.

But we also see pink lightning extending around to the other half of the planet that we can't see. I don't believe we've ever seen any mention or reference of what might even be over there, it could be a Panthalassa scenario. But then, that begs the question, why is the lightning going there? Do black dragons (or half/quarter/eighth black dragons) enjoy spending time in an ocean that spans half a planet? Or are there continents as yet unseen in the comic?

I don't have any answers for this, it was just something I noticed when rereading the comic and wondered if anyone else had noticed it too.

[Jasdoif]

As we can see in this strip (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0639.html), both the western continent and the continent comprising the "north" and the "south" are on the same half of the globe that is ootsworld.

But we also see pink lightning extending around to the other half of the planet that we can't see. I don't believe we've ever seen any mention or reference of what might even be over there, it could be a Panthalassa scenario. But then, that begs the question, why is the lightning going there? Do black dragons (or half/quarter/eighth black dragons) enjoy spending time in an ocean that spans half a planet? Or are there continents as yet unseen in the comic?

I don't have any answers for this, it was just something I noticed when rereading the comic and wondered if anyone else had noticed it too.Well...the Western continent has "Western" in the name, so reasonably there should be an Eastern something for that name to have any meaning. Whether it's a mysterious continental landmass, a sprawling mass of reefs and atolls, an empty sea set aside in memory of the lost pantheon (and hence why they're called the Eastern gods), or something else entirely....I have no idea.

[Gift Jeraff]

Well...the Western continent has "Western" in the name, so reasonably there should be an Eastern something for that name to have any meaning. Whether it's a mysterious continental landmass, a sprawling mass of reefs and atolls, an empty sea set aside in memory of the lost pantheon (and hence why they're called the Eastern gods), or something else entirely....I have no idea.

I always assumed it was Western relative to the combined landmass of the Northern and Southern Lands.

[Jasdoif]

I always assumed it was Western relative to the combined landmass of the Northern and Southern Lands.It could be. I was thinking they'd call themselves the "Central Lands", rather than identifying themselves solely with reference to the Northern and Southern Lands (who have poles to act their markers), if there was nothing else of note near the equator...but that's not necessarily the case.

[Fyraltari]

It could be. I was thinking they'd call themselves the "Central Lands", rather than identifying themselves solely with reference to the Northern and Southern Lands (who have poles to act their markers), if there was nothing else of note near the equator...but that's not necessarily the case.

Assuming there was just a big ocean there with maybe some archipelagos, mapmakers would center their maps on the ocean between the two continents and not bother with a whole lot of blue space. You end up with the Western continent on the left side and the Nort and south on the right, hence the names. Or even before that if we posit that the original population was not given geography lessons, people from the North South would give eachothers those names naturally andthen when meeting people from the West name them accordingly with the Westerners rolling with it for convienience sake.

Or a wizard did it.

[AcerbicOrb]

Surely the continents are named after their respective pantheons? Which explains the lack of an Eastern Continent, and why the Elves share the Western Pantheon for Godsmoot voting rights.

[Grey_Wolf_c]

Surely the continents are named after their respective pantheons? Which explains the lack of an Eastern Continent, and why the Elves share the Western Pantheon for Godsmoot voting rights.

This. When the gods created World 2.0, they created three continents, and named them after their dominions. Then told the creatures they created in said continents what the names were.

Grey Wolf

[skim172]

Maybe there is another continent, but they won't discover it until an explorer named Sticksopher Columbus sails the ocean blue and bumps into land in completely the wrong place. Genocide ensues.

Alternatively, it turns out that Stickworld is actually flat and the other side, you'll find a very large giant tasked by Zeus to hold up the world for some reason.

Actually, now that I think of it, surely there must be some aquatic variant of dragons in the DND sourcebooks. Maybe there's just a bunch of dragons under the sea.

[KorvinStarmast]

Alternatively, it turns out that Stickworld is actually flat and the other side, you'll find a very large giant tasked by Zeus to hold up the world for some reason.

Actually, now that I think of it, surely there must be some aquatic variant of dragons in the DND sourcebooks. Maybe there's just a bunch of dragons under the sea.
Dragon Turtles have been in the game for over 40 years, I think they'll fit your requirements.

[Fyraltari]

Surely the continents are named after their respective pantheons? Which explains the lack of an Eastern Continent, and why the Elves share the Western Pantheon for Godsmoot voting rights.

I used to think that as well, but there's a problem : Why would pantheons be named like that? since the division of the world into godly spheres of influence only happened on the second world, shouldn't the pantheons have had other names before?

[Grey_Wolf_c]

since the division of the world into godly spheres of influence only happened on the second world

[citation needed]

GW

[hroþila]

[citation needed]
Redcloak: "When the creation was done, the leader of the Southern Gods proposed an agreement between the three groups:"
Dragon: "We all know what happens should we ever come to direct conflict over how to run this new world. I therefore suggest that each of our three pantheons be granted special dominion over one-third of this planet, to guide it as we see fit."

[Grey_Wolf_c]

Redcloak: "When the creation was done, the leader of the Southern Gods proposed an agreement between the three groups:"
Dragon: "We all know what happens should we ever come to direct conflict over how to run this new world. I therefore suggest that each of our three pantheons be granted special dominion over one-third of this planet, to guide it as we see fit."

Yeah, but that doesn't tell me that they named themselves "North/South/East/West" only for World 2.0. The fact that there were four groups already, and that they refer to the dead ones as "West" suggests that the division into the four cardinal directions was established in World 1.0. Yes, maybe in 1.0 they didn't formally divide the world into four sections (because we know they didn't do anything formally, thus the Snarl) but it feels like they at least informally grouped themselves by cardinal direction.

Grey Wolf

[Keltest]

Yeah, but that doesn't tell me that they named themselves "North/South/East/West" only for World 2.0. The fact that there were four groups already, and that they refer to the dead ones as "West" suggests that the division into the four cardinal directions was established in World 1.0. Yes, maybe in 1.0 they didn't formally divide the world into four sections (because we know they didn't do anything formally, thus the Snarl) but it feels like they at least informally grouped themselves by cardinal direction.

Grey Wolf

Youre assuming they were named after the cardinal directions instead of the other way around. They created the world, they could easily have named the directions after their spheres of influence.

[Fyraltari]

There were four groups, one group got killed, the last three made a world and divided it between them one gropu having the north, the other the west and the other the south, the mortals or the god themselves start calling them gods of the north(erners)/west(erners)/south(erners) by convienience and follow that pattern when talking about the fourth group which would have had an hypothetical fourth continent had they survived.

Edit: that's my headcannon for now.

[Grey_Wolf_c]

Youre assuming they were named after the cardinal directions instead of the other way around. They created the world, they could easily have named the directions after their spheres of influence.

Either way would be fine. After all, what I'm challenging here is that the naming post-dates World 2.0, not how they came up with the names in the first place.

GW

[hroþila]

Yeah, but that doesn't tell me that they named themselves "North/South/East/West" only for World 2.0. The fact that there were four groups already, and that they refer to the dead ones as "West" suggests that the division into the four cardinal directions was established in World 1.0. Yes, maybe in 1.0 they didn't formally divide the world into four sections (because we know they didn't do anything formally, thus the Snarl) but it feels like they at least informally grouped themselves by cardinal direction.

Grey Wolf
The Crayons of Time establishes that they were named after the part of the world where they were worshipped, and the quoted SoD scene establishes that such regions were only established for World 2.0. My interpretation would be that they did indeed only get the cardinal direction names on World 2.0, and that the Eastern pantheon got that name retroactively, by analogy.

edit: Ninja'd.

[AcerbicOrb]

Haven't we reached a point where Crayons of Time is an unreliable source? It's clearly not entirely accurate about the Snarl/rifts.

[Keltest]

Haven't we reached a point where Crayons of Time is an unreliable source? It's clearly not entirely accurate about the Snarl/rifts.

I'm generally willing to take the Crayon segments at their word until something shows up later to contradict them. They aren't absolute objective views on what happens like the digital art segments are, but it should generally be assumed that characters are telling the truth unless you have an indication otherwise.

[Jasdoif]

I'm generally willing to take the Crayon segments at their word until something shows up later to contradict them. They aren't absolute objective views on what happens like the digital art segments are, but it should generally be assumed that characters are telling the truth unless you have an indication otherwise.Also, it's reasonably conceivable that a nation in the Southern Lands that worships the Southern Gods has some historical traditions preserving why they decided to call the Southern Gods "the Southern Gods".

[Keltest]

Also, it's reasonably conceivable that a nation in the Southern Lands that worships the Southern Gods has some historical traditions preserving why they decided to call the Southern Gods "the Southern Gods".

Bad example, because they don't actually call them that. Theyre the "Twelve Gods" in the south.

[Jasdoif]

Bad example, because they don't actually call them that. Theyre the "Twelve Gods" in the south.Hm. So it is. Shojo did call them (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0273.html) "the Twelve Gods of the South", though, so the direction-y part of it seems sound.

[Keltest]

Hm. So it is. Shojo did call them (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0273.html) "the Twelve Gods of the South", though, so the direction-y part of it seems sound.

since Twelve is capitalized, he is still using their pantheonic title there. Presumably the directional aspect was added because he was speaking to ignorant northerners who wouldn't recognize the group name alone.

In fact, does any worshiper refer to their own pantheon by the directional name (other than when speaking to somebody from a different continent)? The closest I can think of is V referring to the Elven Gods early on, and their place in the divine order is poorly defined, other than as being elf-specific additions to the Western Pantheon.

[Jasdoif]

In fact, does any worshiper refer to their own pantheon by the directional name (other than when speaking to somebody from a different continent)?I found Mateo saying "Sweet Northern Gods" (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots1060.html)...the context is different though, and I can't say if Mateo is a worshiper of the Northern Gods.

[Emanick]

Haven't we reached a point where Crayons of Time is an unreliable source? It's clearly not entirely accurate about the Snarl/rifts.

We've yet to see any actual inaccuracies. Omissions, yes: the fact that there appears to be a world beyond the rifts makes it clear that we don't have the whole story. But there is no proof yet that anything in Shojo's story was incorrect.

For what it's worth, I personally believe that parts of the story are probably false or at the very least misleading, but my reasoning for that is meta, not grounded in direct evidence.