Above: Atmos at the start of the Gaeacene.
Sorlona, centrally located in the early Gaeacene, was the cradle of terrestrial life on Atmos. This continent was the first to be colonized by land-dwelling organisms such as terraspores and, later, the earliest scuttlebugs. Its geography offered a range of stable, humid coastal environments ideal for the transition from sea to land, with wide continental shelves and a relatively warm climate year-round. Surrounded by shallow seas and flanked closely by Weslona to the west and Eslona to the east, Sorlona served as a natural launch point for biotic expansion across the southern hemisphere. In the early Cimexian Epoch, it stood as the biological epicenter of terrestrial evolution, lush, damp, and teeming with microbial mats, poremorphs, and the first creeping scuttlebug life.
Weslona, the broad western continent of the early Gaeacene, lay just across a network of shallow seas from Sorlona. Its proximity and accessible seaways made it one of the first landmasses colonized after life took root on land. Though somewhat drier and more topographically varied than Sorlona, Weslona still supported extensive mats of terraspores and microbial crusts, particularly along its humid coastal lowlands and inland basins. The continent’s gentle climate gradients and scattered island chains fostered a patchwork of early ecosystems, making it a vital step in the gradual radiation of terrestrial life across Atmos.
Eslona, the easternmost of the major early Gaeacene continents, sprawled across a broad latitudinal range, endowing it with a large diversity of climates. Its equatorial zone brimmed with humidity and warmth, fostering dense thickets of terraspores and cyanophyte mats along muddy tidal flats and shallow inland basins. Farther south, Eslona extended into cooler temperate zones, with broad uplands and windward slopes experiencing more seasonal variation. Snow occasionally blanketed the continent’s southernmost highlands, while colder coastal shelves brought icy currents along its southern reach. Eslona’s eastern coast faced the open Exteric Ocean, with its interior protected by mountain ranges and high plateaus.
Norlona, the northernmost of the major continents during the early Gaeacene Era, lay isolated beyond the cold, deep waters of the Boreal Basin. Unlike the relatively interconnected landmasses of Sorlona, Weslona, and Eslona, Norlona was a world apart, separated by distance, depth, and climate. Much of its expanse lay within subpolar to polar latitudes, subject to long winters, short growing seasons, and extended periods of low solar energy. The coastlines of Norlona were rugged and glaciated, with icy winds sweeping across barren tundras.