Earth

Earth is the ancestral homeworld of humans. After the Blackout the knowledge that Earth was humanity's homeworld became lost. Even after it was rediscovered centuries later, it was difficult to imagine that it could have ever been the human world. Earth is classified as a hazardous planet to explore. Not only is the air unbreathable by humans, but it is inhabited by hostile fauna. The use of an either a breath mask or an AR avatar is strongly recommended.

History

Earth was a fundamentally different place during humanity's early time. During the mid 2300s in the Gregorian calendar, an asteroid designated by the name Wormwood was identified to be on a collision course, and it was expected to impact within several decades. Due to its sheer size, they lacked the means to completely redirect its path, so they began to construct a series of arks not only for humanity but also for the various plants and animals of the world. Most humans would migrate to Mars and other nearby planets, but some of them were placed in generational ships to spread themselves across the galaxy for the long term. These preserved species would also be foundational for terraforming other planets across the galaxy. Hence, many Earth life forms can be found on many other worlds, some evolving into new species. For example, the Ferogator on the planet Yeddo is genetically related to Earth's alligators and crocodiles.

Most of humanity as well as the most important keystone species were preserved just in time. The asteroid collided somewhere in the Indian Ocean and set the atmosphere on fire, causing mass extinctions. Miraculously, life managed to survive afterwards, but the planet was in a state where humanity was unlikely to ever live on Earth ever again. Thus, they left it abandoned, allowing nature to reclaim whatever structures remained intact after the impact.

Over time, the atmosphere of the planet changed drastically without human intervention. The surviving life forms mutated as the planet's oxygen levels skyrocketed and rainforests aggressively took over the planet, engulfing whatever human civilization remained. The oceans became covered in mutated algae turning it a greenish color. With all megafauna having gone extinct, insects grew in size to fill their niche, supported by the increased oxygen. In addition to the hostile fauna, the air itself was no longer breathable by humans. The higher levels of oxygen are poisonous to humans, and a person without a breathing apparatus would become intoxicated.

In the thousands of years that followed, the only recognizable human artifacts on the surface were the Pyramids of Giza and Mt. Rushmore as everything else deteriorated to dust.

Inhabitants

Terrafelis

Though Earth is uninhabitable by humans, their absence did give rise to another species. Stray cats were among the few mammals that survived the impact, and a random mutation gave them opposable thumbs and stronger hind legs allowing them to stand bipedal. As such, these cats - known as Terrafelis - evolved to become smarter than the house cats that serve as human pets. Their intelligence is comparable to that of orcas and dolphins - they have pack instincts and the ability to form hunter-gatherer tribes. Some theorize that given another 10,000 years, they might be able to build their own advanced civilizations.

Terrafelis have also been picked up by explorers and pirates being sold on the black market. However, some Terrafelis have escaped confinement by humans, making lives for themselves throughout the galaxy. Some of the more sophisticated ones are equipped with translators allowing them to speak human languages.

Biodiversity

Earth has the most number of known species with their full documented list being preserved in the Olympus Mons Vault. In the 30,000 years that followed the Wormwood Impact, several new species were discovered, having evolved to adapt to Earth's new environment.

Flora

• Pluto Fly Trap - A species of carnivorous plant native to the east coast of North America. They are adapted to the nitrogen poor swamps of the region, and they grew to enormous size to prey on large insects.
• Kudzu - A choking vine that spreads quickly and can block sunlight.
• Bamboo - A fast growing species from the eastern Asia region. It is often used as building materials by the Terrafelis.

Fauna

• Greater cockroach - Giant cockroaches that are surprisingly hardy and resilient.
• Wyvernfly - A giant dragonfly that resembles the prehistoric griffinfly.
• Scorpion - An arachnid with pincers and a stinger tail. They are considered a delicacy among Terrafelis.
• Roller bug - Giant, docile bugs that can roll into a ball.
• Dire wolf spider - These giant spiders are vicious hunters that can hunt in packs. They ambush their prey by leaping out from hiding.
• Azure ant - A highly skilled species of ant capable of building large structures even dams.

Points of interest

• Mt. Rushmore - A cliff face with the faces of four presidents of the former nation of the United States of America. They are George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln. It is one of the only surviving structures by humanity from before the Wormwood Impact. Inside Mt. Rushmore is a hidden chamber with a large orrery that will reveal an encryption key needed to open the Olympus Mons Vault on Mars.
• Wormwood Impact Crater - A crater within the Indian Ocean. As its name suggests, this was where the Wormwood Asteroid crashed down.