Out on the edge of the Terran Commonwealth, Perseverance is a world of harsh beauty and hard-earned survival. Settled centuries ago by pioneers chasing wealth and freedom, it remains a frontier world where nature is as much an adversary as any outlaw.

A World of Extremes

Perseverance is a land of contrasts, shaped by its erratic weather and vast, untamed regions. No great oceans divide its continents – only sprawling seas, lakes, and winding rivers, lifelines for those who call this world home.

The Equatorial Belt: The Scorched Lands

The equatorial belt is a land of scorching deserts, jagged canyons, and wind-carved mesas. Temperatures soar during the day, dropping to freezing at night. Mining towns dot the badlands, clinging to what little shade and water they can find.

Major Natural Features:

• The Red Canyons – A vast network of deep ravines, notorious for hiding outlaws and long-lost mining claims.
• Iron Mesa – A plateau rich in valuable minerals, but also plagued by deadly landslides.
• The Salt Flats – A blinding white wasteland, dangerous to cross without the right gear.

"They say the mines’ll make you rich. That’s half true. What they don’t say is the dust’ll kill you first." – Jesse Hale, pit boss, Iron Mesa Mine

The Great Plains: Land of Beasts and Ranchers

Stretching north and south of the deserts, the great plains are home to ranchers, nomads, and massive herds of ironhorns—beasts as valuable as they are dangerous. Rivers carve through the grasslands, creating vital trade routes.

Major Natural Features:

• The Thundergrass Expanse – Rolling grasslands where storms rage unpredictably.
• High River – A winding, fast-moving waterway connecting key settlements.
• The Broken Steppes – An uneven plateau, home to scattered ranches and hidden outlaw dens.

"An ironhorn don’t care how tough you think you are. You get in its way, you’ll end up part of the trail." – Hector Vale, plains hunter

The Mountain Ranges: A Land of Stone and Snow

Beyond the plains, mountains rise like spines, their snow-dusted peaks hiding untapped wealth and untold dangers. Deep caves run through the rock, filled with rare minerals – and sometimes things best left undisturbed.

Major Natural Features:

• The Blackfang Peaks – Named for their sharp ridges and deadly rockslides.
• Echo Caves – A vast underground system rumored to hold lost technology.
• Widow’s Pass – A treacherous mountain route, known for sudden blizzards.

"You see a cave in those mountains? Best keep moving. Ain’t nothing good ever came out of a hole in the ground." – Ranger Tessa Dorne

The Frozen Expanse: Icebound and Isolated

At the planet’s farthest reaches, the tundra stretches into the horizon, where temperatures never rise above freezing and the winds howl like spirits of the dead. Only the desperate or the foolish try to settle here.

Major Natural Features:

• The White Wastes – A frozen desert where blizzards strike without warning.
• The Icebound Rivers – Seasonal waterways that freeze solid in winter, becoming roads of ice.
• Glacier’s End – The site of an abandoned Commonwealth research station.

"Past the ice roads, the land don’t care if you live or die. And most times, it figures you won’t." – Elias Morro, ice runner

Rivers, Lakes, and Trade Routes

With no vast oceans, rivers and lakes are the true highways of Perseverance. Towns and trade posts rise along their banks, serving as lifelines for settlers and merchants.

Riverboats and skiffs ferry cargo and passengers, moving between settlements where roads are little more than dirt trails or frozen paths.

The Great Rift Lakes are home to floating communities, smugglers’ dens, and independent traders, operating beyond the Commonwealth’s reach.

Some rivers run dangerously close to outlaw territory, where a shipment might just disappear overnight.

"You want your cargo to make it upriver? Pay the right people. Otherwise, best send a goodbye letter." – Kael Drummond, riverboat captain

Wildlife & Natural Hazards

The land isn’t empty—it just doesn’t welcome intruders.

• Ironhorns roam the plains in massive herds, their hides strong as steel, their tempers mean as hell.
• Cliff striders, large reptilian predators, stalk the canyon lands, ambushing anything that moves.
• In the mountains and tundras, storm wraiths—massive, predatory birds—descend like thunder, snatching prey too slow to seek cover.

"A storm wraith don’t give warning. One second you’re talking, the next, the man next to you is just… gone." – Lena Holt, mountain guide

Between natural predators, dust storms, and the bitter cold, a careless traveler won’t last long. On Perseverance, nature is the first – and often last – challenge you face.

Next Up: Who Rules This World?

The Terran Commonwealth claims Perseverance as its own, but in reality, power is local—wielded by the people willing to hold it by force, wealth, or reputation. The Governor rules from her capital, the Rangers enforce the law where they can, and the real power often lies in the hands of those with the guns to back it up.

Coming soon: a look at the rulers, outlaws, and factions shaping the future of Perseverance.