3 files changed, 130 insertions, 1 deletions
diff --git a/routes/+page.svelte b/routes/+page.svelte
index babf994..ffa8428 100644
--- a/routes/+page.svelte
+++ b/routes/+page.svelte
@@ -10,6 +10,8 @@
     hasCompletedInitialLoad,
     markInitialLoadComplete
   } from '@hollowdark/loading/lifecycle'
+  import { saveWorld } from '@hollowdark/persistence/worlds'
+  import { generateWorld } from '@hollowdark/worldgen/world'
 
   type View = 'loading' | 'begin'
 
@@ -25,7 +27,11 @@
     view = 'begin'
   })
 
-  function handleBegin(): void {}
+  async function handleBegin(): Promise<void> {
+    const world = generateWorld()
+    await saveWorld(world)
+    beginState = await detectBeginState()
+  }
   function handleContinue(): void {}
   function handleSettings(): void {
     goto(resolve('/settings'))
diff --git a/tests/unit/worldgen/world.test.ts b/tests/unit/worldgen/world.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..7f7e0ce
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/unit/worldgen/world.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,48 @@
+import { describe, expect, test } from 'vitest'
+
+import type { WorldId } from '@hollowdark/engine/entities/base'
+import { FIRST_EVER_YEAR, generateWorld } from '@hollowdark/worldgen/world'
+
+const FIXED_ID = 'test-world-1111' as WorldId
+const FIXED_SEED = 'test-seed-1111'
+const FIXED_CREATED_AT = '2026-04-22T09:00:00.000Z'
+
+describe('generateWorld', () => {
+  test('lands at year 1111, Thawing 1', () => {
+    const world = generateWorld({ id: FIXED_ID, seed: FIXED_SEED, createdAt: FIXED_CREATED_AT })
+    expect(world.currentGameTime).toEqual({
+      year: FIRST_EVER_YEAR,
+      month: 1,
+      day: 1,
+      tickOfDay: 0
+    })
+  })
+
+  test('starts with no characters, no events, no crisis', () => {
+    const world = generateWorld({ id: FIXED_ID, seed: FIXED_SEED, createdAt: FIXED_CREATED_AT })
+    expect(world.currentPlayerCharacterId).toBeNull()
+    expect(world.playedCharacterIds).toEqual([])
+    expect(world.tierOneIds).toEqual([])
+    expect(world.tierTwoIds).toEqual([])
+    expect(world.activeEventIds).toEqual([])
+    expect(world.scheduledEvents).toEqual([])
+    expect(world.crisisState.active).toBe(false)
+    expect(world.politicsByRegion.size).toBe(0)
+  })
+
+  test('seeded generation is deterministic given fixed inputs', () => {
+    const a = generateWorld({ id: FIXED_ID, seed: FIXED_SEED, createdAt: FIXED_CREATED_AT })
+    const b = generateWorld({ id: FIXED_ID, seed: FIXED_SEED, createdAt: FIXED_CREATED_AT })
+    expect(a).toEqual(b)
+  })
+
+  test('defaults the seed to the generated id when only id is provided', () => {
+    const world = generateWorld({ id: FIXED_ID, createdAt: FIXED_CREATED_AT })
+    expect(world.seed).toBe(FIXED_ID)
+  })
+
+  test('records the current schema version in settings', () => {
+    const world = generateWorld({ id: FIXED_ID, seed: FIXED_SEED, createdAt: FIXED_CREATED_AT })
+    expect(world.settings.schemaVersion).toBe(1)
+  })
+})
diff --git a/worldgen/world.ts b/worldgen/world.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..b2e9bd0
--- /dev/null
+++ b/worldgen/world.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,75 @@
+import type { WorldId } from '@hollowdark/engine/entities/base'
+import type {
+  CrisisState,
+  MacroEconomicState,
+  World,
+  WorldSettings
+} from '@hollowdark/engine/entities/world'
+import { SCHEMA_VERSION } from '@hollowdark/persistence/schema'
+import { makeGameTime } from '@hollowdark/time/gameTime'
+import { APP_VERSION_FULL } from '@hollowdark/utils/version/version'
+
+/**
+ * The year the first-ever character in any Hollowdark save is born. Per
+ * design, this number is never shown to the player again — subsequent
+ * characters are born in whatever year the world has reached.
+ */
+export const FIRST_EVER_YEAR = 1111 as const
+
+const DEFAULT_ECONOMY: MacroEconomicState = Object.freeze({
+  inflationAnnual: 0.02,
+  employmentRate: 0.94,
+  marketIndex: 1.0,
+  recessionDepth: 0
+})
+
+const DEFAULT_CRISIS: CrisisState = Object.freeze({
+  active: false,
+  crisisEventId: null,
+  sceneIndex: 0,
+  startedAt: null
+})
+
+export interface GenerateWorldInput {
+  readonly id?: WorldId
+  readonly seed?: string
+  readonly createdAt?: string
+}
+
+/**
+ * Produce a fresh `World` record sitting at the start of year 1111. No
+ * characters, no scheduled events, no political state — the shape is a
+ * clean slate that downstream generators (people, regions, institutions)
+ * fill in before the simulation begins to tick.
+ *
+ * Entropy is injected here only: the default `seed` comes from
+ * `crypto.randomUUID()`, the sole non-deterministic call in a world's
+ * lifetime. Tests and imports can supply their own seed for replay.
+ */
+export function generateWorld(input: GenerateWorldInput = {}): World {
+  const id = input.id ?? (crypto.randomUUID() as WorldId)
+  const seed = input.seed ?? id
+  const createdAt = input.createdAt ?? new Date().toISOString()
+
+  const settings: WorldSettings = {
+    contentVersionAtCreation: APP_VERSION_FULL,
+    schemaVersion: SCHEMA_VERSION
+  }
+
+  return {
+    id,
+    seed,
+    createdAt,
+    currentGameTime: makeGameTime(FIRST_EVER_YEAR, 1, 1),
+    currentPlayerCharacterId: null,
+    playedCharacterIds: [],
+    tierOneIds: [],
+    tierTwoIds: [],
+    economy: DEFAULT_ECONOMY,
+    politicsByRegion: new Map(),
+    activeEventIds: [],
+    scheduledEvents: [],
+    crisisState: DEFAULT_CRISIS,
+    settings
+  }
+}