The Well of Souls

The Well World is the planet that houses the Well of Souls, and it exists within the original Markovian reality. Its surface was used as an experimental site where the Markovians tested their species designs before sending the successful ones into the new universe to populate planets. Humans are one of many such designed species who now live in the outer Galaxy. The Well World has been abandoned and left on its own for an unknown length of time.
The Milky Way Galaxy exists in the Markovian-built artificial universe (so-called "real" space). The main interstellar polity in the Milky Way Galaxy is the Community of Worlds (the Com), where genetically engineered clones are widely used to form peaceful communist societies. The Community of Worlds (the Com, for short) is that portion of the Milky Way Galaxy that is occupied by humanity; later, the humans ally with thirteen other races, of which six (Botesh, Chugach, Kafski, Milikud, Rhone, and Tarak) are named. Several features of the Com are of import:
Genetic conformity:: On many of the Com worlds the populace has been genetically modified to bring about a greater or lesser degree of conformity. On some worlds the people are identical hermaphrodites. This is known as "going Com" and is usually imposed by the ruling classes (whose own modifications leave them with a greater degree of individuality).
Sponge:: The sponge is a non-intelligent life form found on one of the Com planets prior to any human contact with non-human sentients (aside from Well World residents). A human infected with sponge will suffer painful, rapid, and irreversible mental degradation unless he/she receives a daily dose of the arresting agent (which is a secretion of the sponge). Many planetary leaders are sponge-infected, and are under the control of the sponge syndicate. A cure for sponge addiction becomes available, bringing the sponge syndicate to an end.
Markovian Worlds:: Throughout all explored space there are a number of uninhabitable worlds, each with the ruins of a Markovian city. Many of them have functioning Markovian gateways, which take the traveller directly to the Well World.
The Well World was constructed by an ancient alien species known as the Markovians, who felt they had reached a dead end in their evolution. The Well World houses a planet-sized, reality-shaping computer that creates an artificial universe layered on top of the much smaller, original Markovian one. The Well World exists within the original Markovian universe, and can only be accessed through gateways on a number of Markovian planets scattered through the artificial universe (so-called "real" space). The Markovians experimented in species design on the Well World, sending the more successful ones into the new universe to populate one of these planets. At some time in the distant past, the Markovians vanished, leaving behind the Well World, continually maintaining the new universe. The Well World's surface is composed primarily of 1560 large hexagonal regions—prosaically called hexes—each with an independent and often dramatically different climate and ecosystem. Each of these hexes, 614.86km across, is a prototype environment for a planet that exists in the external universe: half of which, comprising the planet's Southern hemisphere, contain carbon-based (or similar) oxygen-breathing life. The North is made up of exotic species which are often so alien that no common ground exists between them and the Southern races, and, often, their Northern neighbors as well. Since the Northern hemisphere contains, for example, seas of oxygen, chlorine, methane, and ammonia, Southern races need some kind of life support in the North. The two hemispheres are separated by an impermeable wall that extends several kilometers upward. In the hexes that are bisected by the wall there is a separate gateway (the avenue) to the Well of Souls, the control center for the computer.

780 Southern Hexagons
780 Northern Hexagons
1560 Total Hexagons

614.86 km is the length across of each hexagon
355 km is the length of a side of each hexagon

Area of a Hexagon
½ x (6s) x h
½ x (6(355) x 307) note: h is the radius so it is half of 615, or 307
3,269,552km² Area of a Hex. (This is roughly the size of India)

3,269,552km² x 1560 (number of Hexes)
510,049,800km² (projected area of Well World)

Area of Well World is 5.1 x 10⁸km²
5.1 x 1,000,000,000km²
or 510,000,000km²
This is remarkably close to the area of the Earth which is 509,600,000km²

The Well World computer also maintains a tech level for each of the hexes, making equipment of a higher level simply fail to work. High-tech hexes work as in the real universe, allowing any device to work. Semi-tech hexes allow simple machines to work, up to about the level of the steam engine, and any device using electricity will not work. Low-tech hexes allow no machines to work, and all effort has to be created by muscles. Even then, there are exceptions; Gedamondas is low-tech, but the Gedamondans can use naturally occurring steam from their volcanic vents, and the Agitar can electrocute people in any hex, regardless of tech level. Also, while chemical firearms do not, as a general rule, work in nontech hexes, matches and certain kinds of chemical explosives will, although the explosives can be dangerously unstable in nontech hexes. In some of the hexes, however, the Well World computer allows the inhabitants access to limited manipulation of reality, or magic (this is most commonly in low- and semi-tech hexes, but high-tech magic hexes have been mentioned). Vehicles that travel from hex to hex need to be equipped with multiple forms of power.

In addition to the hexes, the two polar regions, or zones contain maintenance areas, including a series of ambassadorial offices. These can be reached via gateways near the centers of each of the hexes, allowing easy transit from hex to pole for meetings and other duties. Newcomers to the Well World find themselves in the zones, where they are greeted by one of the ambassadors and then sent through a gateway. During this initial transit, the Well World computer transforms the traveler into a member of one of the many races, and sends them on to the associated hexes. From that point, the traveler is treated as a native of that hex. Since the only way to enter/leave Zone is through a Zone Gate, and exiting through any Zone Gate always takes one to their home hex, it is generally impossible for Southern and Northern races to travel into the other hemisphere. An InterZone Gate allows Northern and Southern ambassadors to travel between opposite Zones, and most materials can be transported via Zone gates, so there is some limited trade between North and South; for example, universal translators are grown in a Northern hex, and allow almost all races to communicate, at least within the limits of common ground. A very few instances of travel from North to South (or vice versa) have occurred, but these were exceptional. The Equatorial Barrier contains six Avenues on either side of the barrier; each avenue leads up to the naked barrier. These are the only authorized entry points to the Well of Souls computer which controls and regulates the entire universe. The main control room contains what appears to be a crystal model of the Well World, but is, in fact, a separate control computer which regulates and stabilizes the Well World itself. This allows the main computer to be shut down and restarted without destroying the Well World. Any person who carries the original pattern is converted into Markovian (also Ancient, Creator, or Maker) form to solve design problems, as only this form possesses the capacity, knowledge, and capabilities necessary to interface with the main Brain. Also, any such personnel are recognized during Well processing, and treated as individuals of the race from which they originated. For this reason, Nathan Brazil (and, later, Mavra Chang) is translated to Glathrial, the home of type 41 (humans), without even being normalized to the Well-specific form.

The following features of the Well World are of greater or lesser importance:

The Well Computer:

The Well Computer is a mammoth machine that comprises the vast majority of the volume of the Well World, from just beneath the planetary crust down to the core. In addition to other functions, this computer manages most aspects of the Well World.

Hexes:

The surface of the Well World is divided into 1560 regions known as hexes. Most hexes are hexagon-shaped; a few consist of parts of hexagons joined together along other edges. Each hex is a habitat for a species of intelligent life designed by the Markovians. Except between the Northern and Southern Hemispheres, there is no physical barrier separating neighboring hexes.

Southern Hemisphere:

The environments in the Southern Hemisphere are all based on an oxygen-nitrogen atmosphere, a water hydrosphere (if there is one), and have a temperature range that a human being can at least momentarily survive in. Of the Southern races encountered in the series to date, all but one are based on carbon chemistry in a water medium. The atmospheres of any two Southern races are likely to be compatible, such that a denizen of one hex can in most cases survive in another without any special breathing apparatus (with the obvious caveat applying to water-breathing vs. air-breathing creatures, and those from extremely-low and extremely-high temperatures).

Northern Hemisphere:

The environments in the Northern Hemisphere are alike only in that none of them have an atmosphere breathable by humans, and an environment amenable to humans would kill all but a handful of Northern races; that is just about all they have in common. Compatibility between hex environments is the exception in the North, not the rule.

The Equatorial Barrier:

This is a vast wall, encircling the Well World at its equator, which acts as an impenetrable barrier between the Northern and Southern Hemispheres. The Barrier extends beyond the stratosphere, and has proven impervious to all attempts to damage it.

Climate:

The climate of each hex is maintained by the Well Computer. The Well World has neither axial tilt nor orbital eccentricity, but the Well World causes the hexes to experience seasons nonetheless. There is no particular pattern to the season that will be found in any hex; environmental conditions, including temperature, humidity, atmospheric composition, and even gravity, are often discontinuous at the hex borders.

Zone:

Zone is short for Polar Zone, and there is one for each pole. Each one is a collection of artificial chambers, which may have served another function when the Markovians first built the planet, but now function as an embassy complex for those races that have the desire and ability to maintain an embassy. North Zone has 780 such embassy spaces, and South Zone has 780 as well.

Zone Gates:

In the center of each hex there is a Markovian gate that will take whoever enters it to that hex's designated space in Zone. Some hexes have more than one Zone Gate.

Well Gates:

In each Zone there is a gate that will take natives entering it to their home hex.

Entries:

Persons delivered to the Well World by a Markovian Gateway arrive at either South Zone or North Zone; the general rule is that carbon-based life gets sent south, and everyone else goes north, but the real rule is that races get sent to where they were based when the Markovians were designing them. They are then greeted and briefed by a representative of one of the races dwelling in their respective hemisphere and are escorted (willing or otherwise) to the Well Gate. Upon entering the Well Gate, the newcomer—known as an Entry—is evaluated by the Well computer, transformed into one of the 780 races pertaining to their hemisphere, according to factors that are fully known only to the Well computer, and transported to that race's hex; afterwards they are transported just as any native.

Technology Limits:

In two thirds of the hexes, the Well computer inhibits the functioning of technological devices. One third of the hexes are known as semi-technological hexes, and in them neither electricity nor anything more advanced than electricity will work. In another third of the hexes, known as non-technological, only machines powered by muscle will work. In the final third, all technology works. Finally, in Zone many high-tech weapons do not function.

Avenues:

In each hemisphere of the Well World there are places where the normal hexagon pattern has been interrupted to accommodate the equator. The borders that are formed in this way are called Avenues. Where each Avenue meets the Equatorial Barrier there is a portal into the Well of Souls. These portals only open at midnight, and after the first book only open when Nathan Brazil is a member of the party seeking entry.

The Well of Souls:

This is the natives' term for the interior of the planet, where the Well Computer can be operated.