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World: Many Realms
Our world intersects a number of other worlds, and there are weak points between them allowing people to cross from one to the other. The location of the weak points slowly moves, perhaps by a foot or so every hour. However, opening a portal seems to pin the weak spot in place.
There are, therefore, numerous permanent portals between worlds. This allows trade and, inevitably, warfare between the realms. Distances between portals vary from realm to realm, so it can make sense to travel to another realm, travel to a second portal, then cross back to your own realm, rather than travelling directly.
The human world is Terranus. It is of early renaissance technology level, with rudimentary firearms (arquebus, musket and canon; no rifling so very inaccurate) and printing press. Iron production is becoming sizeable and basic mechanisms are becoming common (more sophisticated mechanisms are quite often seen in cities, imported from Mechanos).
The most important city (for the game at least) is Icanio, a port with 1.3 million residents. A portal to Saurus was opened a few centuries ago a short way out side of the city. After attempts to invade by both sides, a treaty was made. Trade flourished, and the city grew, eventually enveloping the portal. Today, the portal is a major trade route (and bottleneck!).
There is a portal to Orcus about 12 miles away, but little trade goes that way.
An arid world ruled by Saurians, a race of reptile people, the most notable city is Slithis, on the other side of the portal to Icanio. Technologically very like Terranus, and culturally not dissimilar too, undoubtedly due to the easy of crossing the portal.
Orcus is a barren wasteland, inhabited by goblins, orcs and ogres. If they ever got organised, they might threaten our world, but they spend their time and resources fighting each other instead.
Icanio maintains a castle on the Orcus side of the portal to protect the city. It is not impossible spies from Icanio also ensure the denizens of Orcus never get too organised...
The home of the gnomes, a people with a strange aptitude for mechanisms (presumably not all of them, but enough to supply our world with any manner of curious devices).
A world of eternal cold and dark (so cold.... so dark...).