===== Real World ===== The stories are set in Earth's future. Corporations are large and powerful. Medicine and technology has advanced significantly. Nation-states still exist. Virtual reality is commonplace and immersive, and individuals in VR are sustained by gaming pods that enable them to enter a "flow state" which dilates time such that they spend more time in VR than passes in the real world (7 hrs in VR = 1 hr in RW). While there are many virtual experiences in the future, there are two in particular where most people spend their time. ===== Virtual World ===== The biggest and most popular virtual realities are known as [[:world:nova_terra|Nova Terra]] and [[:world:fantasia|Fantasia]], both created by the same company, Horizon. Nova Terra is a vast fantasy world with its own history, culture, and economy that allows individuals to do nearly anything they can do in the real world, but with a few perks such as magic, mastery (which unlocks new skills/abilities), and non-permanent death. Fantasia is a virtual city where individuals can socialize and carry out business. Due to the number of people playing Nova Terra, in-game results can have significant economic benefits in the real world, i.e. from sale of goods or controlling access to important areas.