The World
Common Knowledge:
The World has three major continents known simply as the "Main", "Eastern", and "Northern" continents. However, they are also sometimes referred to by their ancient and formal names of "Thentao" (Main), "N'Galt" (Eastern), and "Immenri" (Northern).
Expert Knowledge:
Experts sometimes refer to “The World” as “The Prime World” to distinguish it from the other of the twenty worlds. However, while most scholars are aware of other worlds, very few consider them seriously enough to require a modifier to the term “The World”.
The World exists as a flat, circular region surrounded by The Wall and centered on The Well. Around it moves the Sun, the Moon, Dancer, and the Stars. The wall itself is a thousand-foot-tall waterfall which rings the entire world. The well is a great, swirling maelstrom at its center where the water from the wall collects. Since far more water seems to come over the wall than goes out of through the well, scholars often argue about what happens to the remaining water. Many bizarre theories have been presented, but none have gained acceptance.
Beyond the wall is thought to be another land which is completely devoid of magic. If a person can make it to the wall, he will find a ferryman who will take him beyond it. However, the tale of the transgression (see Religion) details the origin and the purpose for the wall from a religious perspective and the punishments for violating that purpose. This alone has kept most of the curious away from the wall, but history is full of stories of people traveling to the wall. Since most failed to return, the trip is rarely undertaken.
Several experiments have concluded that the world is not actually flat, but is in fact convex. Since the well resides in the center, it is thought that it somehow draws the water up the sides of this dome and that this force is powerful enough to offset the tilt of the surface. Therefore, even at the edges of the world, where a person would naturally fall down the slope, he is held up by this unseen force. It is believed that this force has something to do with the mana flow (see Magic), but no conclusive experiments have been performed.
Hidden Knowledge:
Beyond the wall, it is not known whether the tilt continues, but some claim that the slope does continue and that the world is a sphere. The most common supporting argument for this theory is that the moon is a sphere (as can be demonstrated by its phases) and that the sun is at least circular and could easily be spherical. In the interest of order, so too should be the world. Measurements of the convex surface, however, indicate that if the world were a sphere, it would be vast and that the area within the walls would be but a fraction of its size. Since even the force of the well could obviously not hold up a person standing on the opposite side, most of this land is thought to be unlivable.