Note: Only the major nations are marked on this map.  Minor nations, non-human settlements, and geographic features of interest may be added as they are encountered during the course of the game.
This message was last edited by the GM at 00:10, Mon 22 Nov 2021.

Armeian Freelands

Leader: Speaker Thomas Orvelne

Armeia is a large country that developed around several major trading hubs.  It is the strongest commercial power in the known world, with a stereotype that the people focus on money above all else.  Their society is fairly permissive, and ideas that might seem ridiculous to the rest of the world might even be actively encouraged here.  Sometimes this leads to disaster, but other times it leads to philosophical or technological innovations that help to give the Armeians an edge over foreign competition.  That said, most Armeians recognize that friendly relations are better for business than hostility.  As a result they are the most welcoming to foreign immigrants of all major nations, and war is a rare occurrence (although interfering with trade may invite swift and intense military intervention).

With regard to government, the country is divided into dozens of plutocratic fiefdoms, which ostensibly all have the same laws but vary in how they are applied or enforced.  The head of the government, called the Speaker, is required by law to be a commoner, and is elected to serve a 7-year-term.  However, the electors are the 93 wealthiest citizens as determined by the most recent Accounting.  The Speaker is considered to represent Armeia as a whole, but how much power they actually wield is questionable, and has fluctuated over the years.  The current Speaker is Thomas Orvelne, who was previously a popular chariot racer.

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Standard Skills: Conceal, Deceit, Drive, Influence, Insight, Locale, Willpower
Professional Skills: Acting, Commerce, Craft (any), Culture (any), Language (any), Lore (any), Musicianship, Streetwise

Sample combat styles:
Combat Chariot: bow, halberd, whip; Chariot Fighting - you may ignore the Drive skill cap
Assault Infantry: light crossbow, broadsword, dagger, heater shield; Skirmishing - you may make a ranged attack while running, though not sprinting
Street Self-Defense: knife, club, unarmed; Unarmed Prowess - your unarmed blocks and parries count as Medium-sized

Typical Passions
-Loyalty to (family or province)
-Love (novelty, freedom, or wealth)
-Hate (business or political rival)

Magic: Mysticism (no particular focus - there are many different schools, and traveling instructors, and while many of those are scams there are also many real ones).  Folk Magic is also present in some immigrant communities, but is not widespread.

Sample names:
Male - Cederic, Jarrett, Reckard
Female - Belka, Jhessail, Tressia
Family - Corbin, Fallenbridge, Stonemason
This message was last edited by the GM at 00:41, Sat 20 Nov 2021.

Dargan Clans

Leaders: each clan is led by its own Patriarch

The Dargans are herders and woodsmen living in the northernmost reaches of the world.  Their lore says that they were the first humans, and that all others are descended from Dargans who migrated south.  They are primarily occupied with herding various livestock ranging from goats to yaks.  They are organized into clans, with each clan having its own leader and its own territory.  The three largest clans are Dag, Khem, and Khady, but there are others as well.  Despite the clan structure, Dargan society is fairly individualistic - adults are expected to live only with their nuclear families and to manage their own affairs as much as possible; they can rely on the rest of the clan for help if a problem gets out of hand, but they should only do so after they have done everything they could on their own.

Dargans are known throughout the world for their hardiness in cold climes, and also for their unique musical style.  Dargan singers are able to reach unusually low registers that resonate far beyond what most singers can accomplish.  Many are even able to inject a bit of magic into their singing to project their voices further than would otherwise be possible, allowing for easier communication between their isolated homesteads.

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Standard Skills: Athletics, Endurance, First Aid, Locale, Perception, Ride, Sing
Professional Skills: Craft (any), Folk Magic, Healing, Lore (any), Musicianship, Navigate, Survival, Track

Sample combat styles:
Bear Wrestling: unarmed only; Unarmed Prowess - block or parry as if with a Medium weapon
Woodland Self-Defense: bow, hatchet; Between the Trees - Outmaneuver rolls are one step easier in wooded terrain
Clan Defense: short spear, shield; Defensive Minded - treat your weapon as one size larger for parrying if you do not take any offensive action this round

Typical Passions
-Loyalty to Clan
-Love Family
-Shun cities

Magic: Folk Magic (taught to most people before they reach the rites of adulthood; spell lists differ slightly for each clan), Animism (focusing on spirits of earth, tree, and water)
Special: any Dargan with 50% or better in Sing can spend 1 magic point to send a message over a long distance (at least one mile), even if they do not have any other magical skills.  The recipient(s) cannot be specified; anyone in the area will be able to hear it, and potentially understand it if they know the language.

Sample names:
Male - Artysh, Orlan, Tsayan
Female - Aldynay, Choygana, Taraa
Dargan names are formatted as (firstname) yz (clan), e.g. Orlan yz Khem
This message was last edited by the GM at 02:08, Sat 20 Nov 2021.

Republic of Dellavria

Leader: Serene Duchess Cataenna Sera

Dellavria is a small but relatively wealthy mercantile nation.  Dellavria is often in competition with Armeia, and while the latter has a definite edge on overland trade, the former dominates sea trade.  They attribute their advantage here to Stréya of the Night Sky, the goddess associated with sea and stars.  Dellavrian society is also more focused on what they think of as "high culture," and much of the wealth produced by trade and banking goes into patronage of the arts.  One thing that commercial trends have not changed is the structure of government, as the right to vote for the next Duchess is still limited to a handful of noble families stretching back centuries.

Dellavria is a strictly matriarchal nation.  Leadership roles are reserved for women, while men are directed more to manual labor.  This carries over to the military as well, where officers are almost all women and the rank-and-file are mostly men.  These gender divisions are starting to become more relaxed in some of the more liberal pockets around the country, which has gotten the attention of the traditionalists but has not yet sparked any serious resistance.

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Standard Skills: Conceal, Dance, Drive, Influence, Insight, Locale, Willpower
Professional Skills: Art (any), Commerce, Courtesy, Craft (any), Literacy, Lore (any), Navigation, Seamanship

Sample combat styles:
Dellavrian Dueling: rapier, main gauche, buckler; Riposte - on a successful parry, you may use one of your special effects to deal half damage to your opponent’s weapon arm
Dellavrian Infantry: heavy crossbow, pike, shortsword, kite shield; Ranged Marksman - when you hit with a ranged attack, you may shift your random hit location to an adjoining location

Typical Passions
-Loyal to (religion, ship crew, or military unit)
-Love (family, spouse, or lover)
-Hate (romantic or business rival)

Magic: Theism (focus on weather, water, and travel).  Other forms of magic are illegal, and occasionally an older man will be prosecuted for “witchcraft” (i.e. Folk Magic).

Sample names:
Male - Alescio, Drio, Scimon
Female - Devota, Marga, Zabella
Family - Canepo, Neirono, Otonale
This message was last edited by the GM at 02:21, Sat 20 Nov 2021.

Kaginto Confederation

Leader: each tribe has its own leader, called the Hari

Kaginto is an archipelago, with each island its own state.  In the past they were completely independent of each other, until the Dellavrians arrived and attempted to colonize.  Two generations later they were repelled, but the the time spent under their yoke spurred the development of a more unified national identity.  In the century since then, the wars between tribes have been replaced with boat races and athletic competitions that only rarely lead to violence.

The Ginto people mostly live on the lowlands of their islands, near coasts and rivers, where food is more abundant and they are safe from the hostile spirits that inhabit the mountains.  The main reason for venturing uphill is to mine for gold or turquoise.  Gold mined in Kaginto has a unique reddish tint that is valued highly by traders and artisans from the mainland.

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Standard Skills: Athletics, Boating, Brawn, Endurance, Evade, Locale, Swim
Professional Skills: Acrobatics, Craft (any), Healing, Lore (any), Mechanisms, Navigate, Survival, Track

Sample combat styles:
Island Warrior: javelin, net, club; Daredevil - you do not end up prone when using Evade to dodge melee attacks
Volcano Warrior: scimitar, dagger, sling; Do or Die - you may use the Flurry special effect when dual wielding

Typical Passions
-Loyal to (tribe or Hari)
-Rivalry with (tribe)
-Distrust Dellavrians

Magic: Animism (focus on ancestor, guardian, and nature (animal) spirits)

Sample names:
Male - Banoy, Datu, Ulan
Female - Diwata, Mahalina, Tala
Family - Galang, Kawayan, Manalo

Kingdom of Nekhara

Leader: King Abesh II

Nekhara is a hereditary monarchy covering the tropical lands of the southeast.  Traditionally the kingdom has been focused inward, apart from some trade with its neighbors.  However, this has been gradually shifting over the past year or so, with the young king Abesh II looking to expand his territory and correct for some of his father’s decisions, which he views as having allowed Nekhara to be unfairly exploited by its trade partners.

In some ways, Nekhara is almost two kingdoms in one.  In the cities, people work to adopt the trappings of civilization that have been brought to them by Armeian and Dellavrian merchants, fitting it around their own system of social castes.  In the more rural communities, by contrast, people live in largely the same manner that they have for centuries, with fairly strict hierarchies within their families but no such system beyond that.  There are also significant religious differences between urban and rural communities, which contribute further to distrust between them.

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Standard Skills: Athletics, Endurance, Evade, First Aid, Locale, Perception, Stealth
Professional Skills: Art (sculpture or textile), Courtesy, Engineering, Lore (any), Musicianship, Oratory, Survival, Track

Sample combat styles:
Lathi Khela: quarterstaff only; Daredevil - you do not end up prone when using Evade to dodge melee attacks
Tiger Warrior: bagh nakh (tiger claws), darts; Spring Attack - your Athletics rolls are one step easier when making a leaping attack
Note: bagh nakh are a special weapon only available in Nekhara.  They consist of metal claws which are strapped on at the wrist and palm and extend over the wearer’s hands.  They have the same statistics as daggers, but they leave the user’s hands free for grappling, holding other items, etc.

Typical Passions
-Devotion to (crown or religion)
-Love (family or romantic partner)
-Hate (lower or higher castes)

Magic: Sorcery (focused on animals and shapeshifting).  Folk magic is common in rural communities but discouraged in the cities.

Sample names:
Male - Abhijit, Manish, Vivek
Female - Aditi, Nilufar, Tahmina
Family - Bagchi, Jele, Saha
This message was last edited by the GM at 14:27, Sun 09 Oct 2022.

Shubotai Empire

Leader: High Chief Nergui Khaluun

The Shubotai are fierce warriors, equally vicious on foot and on horseback.  Their empire is patiently but undoubtedly expansionistic.  Their attitude toward their neighbors (and possibly the rest of the world) is that everyone else will be happier when they are part of the empire.  This is not just an excuse or a euphemism - the Shubotai do seem to care about the welfare of the people they conquer (those who survive the conquest, anyway), and at least part of the reason for their relatively slow expansion is that they wait until one nation is fully assimilated into their own culture before moving on to take the next.

Within the empire, all people are considered equal.  There are no overt markers of rank or status; even the High Chief dresses like a commoner, except on special occasions.  The expectation is that all citizens contribute to the empire as they are able, and the empire meets their needs accordingly.  Families are not recognized by simple blood relation as in other nations - instead, everyone lives in polyamorous collectives called kamtyn.  Together with this extreme level of egalitarianism (or whatever else you might call it), the Shubotai also value trust above all else.  They have little patience for subterfuge or politics.  It is often said that Shubotai do not make threats, but guarantees.

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Standard Skills: Athletics, Brawn, Endurance, Evade, Perception, Ride, Unarmed
Professional Skills: Acrobatics, Craft (any), Healing, Lore (animal training), Musicianship, Oratory, Survival, Track

Sample combat Styles:
Shubotai Horse Archery: bow, lance, sabre; Mounted Combat - you may ignore the Ride skill cap
Shubotai Infantry: halberd, falchion, hoplite shield; Formation Fighting - enemies who engage a group of 3 or more fighters with this style get -1AP

Typical Passions:
-Loyal to (military unit)
-Love (kamtyn)
-Hate dishonesty

Magic: Sorcery (focusing on mind and perception)

Sample names:
Male - Ankhbayar, Bilgun, Torbaatar
Female - Altansarnai, Narangerel, Zaya
Kamtyn - Buudai, Gol, Toirog
This message was last edited by the GM at 00:12, Sun 21 Nov 2021.

Waparitja

Leader: the elder priests might be considered leaders, but no one is specifically identified in this role

Waparitja is a vast island of desert and hills.  The dark-skinned people who live there are deeply devoted to Mamanyaru, their earth deity.  They believe that the whole world began with their island, and that they were the first humans and that all others are descended from early Waparitja who migrated north.  They have few permanent settlements, as their religious beliefs involve frequent travels between various sites that have divine significance for them.  These travels mostly take them to different points on their homeland, but occasionally individuals or small groups will travel to other places in the world to fulfill tasks that Mamanyaru has bestowed on them.

One other feature of this culture that stands out is their reliance on animals called sand gliders (kurunpa in the Waparitja language).  These creatures look like manta rays with short legs, and are able to fly in warm air to a height of around 10 meters (at night, when the desert cools off, they sleep heavily).  The Waparitja train sand gliders to carry objects or messages for them - a single one can carry a basket, and a team together can carry heavier objects, including a one-man sky chariot.  It is possible for a person to ride on a sand glider’s back but this is rarely done, as it is uncomfortable for both the animal and the rider and it slows them down considerably.

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Standard Skills: Brawn, Endurance, First Aid, Locale, Perception, Sing, Stealth
Professional Skills: Art (painting or carving), Craft (any), Healing, Lore (animal training), Musicianship, Navigate, Survival

Sample combat styles:
Desert Hunter: boomerang, spear; Excellent Footwork - when fighting on unsteady ground, ignore the skill cap for Acrobatics
Sand and Wind: short spear, atlatl, club, unarmed, peltast shield; Daredevil - you do not end up prone when using Evade to dodge melee attacks

Typical Passions
-Obedient to (religion)
-Love (family or friends)
-Avoid staying in place

Magic: Theism (Mamanyaru - spells are focused on earth and dreams).  Priests also learn Folk Magic, and may teach a few spells to others if needed for a divinely mandated task.

Sample names:
Male - Akma, Nyakul, Waru
Female - Angkaliya, Mantatjara, Tjunkaya
Surname - Anyana Kulpi, Rapita Puli, Wiltja Ngura
Waparitja surnames are not based on family, but on which holy site or other significant landmark was closest when the person was born