The Lands:
Zidaesh:
	A vast, largely inhospitable desert land along the southern coast. Populated by scattered colonies of humans, orcs, and Rock Dwarves. The terrain and climate vary wildly across Zidaesh - the western portion of the land is rugged, wind-blasted desert and deep canyons, but the further east one goes, the more tropical it becomes. In the far east, along the coast, lies a massive volcano - thousands of years of volcanic eruptions and lava flows are responsible for the dramatic difference in climate, as the minerals and gases have allowed for a humid, tropical climate where rainforests and vast, fertile swamps have developed.
	In the east, the Dark Elves claim the vast tropical swamps and rainforests as their ancestral homes, and in the west, the Rock Dwarves carve their cities into the deep canyons and seaside cliffs. Humans have built scattered settlements along the northern edge of the desert, and the Attican Republic enjoys a profitable trade agreement with the Rock Dwarves of Quorom, the largest dwarven city-fortress. While the dwarves outnumber humans there in no uncertain terms, the Attican Embassy maintains a palpable presence in the city, and the Attican Navy hosts a fleet of warships in Quorom’s harbor.

The Attican Republic:
	A relatively large nation of warm, temperate highlands. The climate is mild along the coastlines, where a majority of the population lives, but becomes warmer inland, where the rural population farms and herds on the great plateaus and valleys. While much of the population is human, there is also a sizable population of gnomes, who primarily work as miners or who live in the cities as sailors or entertainers. Beyond the reach of Attican civilization live the Wild Elves - they call the sprawling forests home, and while some have left their clans and integrated into Attican society, most still live among their traveling clansmen, migrating along ancient paths with the seasons.
	In recent decades, the orcish people from Zidaesh have begun crossing over the Attican border, and while the Attican military has engaged in a number of skirmishes with them, relations with the orcs are currently tense, but amicable. The orcs, when conversations haven’t devolved into violence, have claimed to be fleeing the great terrors of the desert. They refuse to explain beyond that, only that Zidaesh is home to them no longer.

The Northern Spyrlands:
	The Northern Spyrlands have played host to several generations of expeditionary attempts from the Spyrish Empire to the south-west. It is a more rugged land than the nations to the south - deep coniferous forests blanket the landscape, stretching ancient roots up along freezing mountain streams that run down from the massive mountain ranges that dominate the northern border. It is a cold, often harsh land, ill-suited for settlement, though its wealth of natural resources have often made it an attractive prospect. The last of the officially sanctioned Spyrish settlers left some thirty years ago, and now only the most stubborn or the most proud remain.
	While what remains of the few scattered settlements are primarily inhabited by Spyrish humans, the Northern Spyrlands are home to several reclusive populations. The Mountain Dwarves live in massive fortresses hidden deep within the northern mountain ranges - they’re rarely seen beyond the confines of their homes, save for the hunters and trappers who venture into the forests for food, but even those are few and far between. There are a handful of Mountain Dwarves who live among humans, those who have left their homes, often due to exile, though even these dwarves are notoriously tight-lipped about the culture that they left.
	Little is known of the land beyond the mountains, though a few lucky explorers have survived the trip through the mountain passes and have returned to report vast, endless plains of ice. This is where the Pale Elves lived for thousands of years, surviving on the frigid tundra through some combination of resourcefulness and sheer willpower. In recent decades, however, the Pale Elves have begun leaving their ancestral homeland, traveling south through the mountains to the forests below. Some of these elves have managed to unearth dwarven passages, and rather than brave the dangerous trip across the summits, have delved into the underground kingdom of the dwarves. This has fostered tension between the Pale Elves and the Mountain Dwarves, and some humans have barred the Pale Elves from seeking sanctuary in their villages, for fear of retaliation by the dwarves.
	While most who live in the Northern Spyrlands are devout, it is the humans who are often the most faithful. Human belief varies, though most pay lip service to all of the gods, at the very least. This far north, Hoar is feared and respected, and the Matron’s crest is carried by nearly all who are trained for battle. The Mountain Dwarves follow Ephrat, and the Pale Elves usually worship Hoar or Numai in equal measure.

The Old Spyrish Empire:
	Once a massive empire that dominated the northern half of the continent, the Spyrish Empire is now only a shadow of what it once was. Corruption and a series of devastating rebellions crippled much of the nation’s infrastructure, and left the Empire without a leader for several years. During that time, famine and plague swept the land, eradicating vast swaths of the population. Though the political leadership has regained some stability in the past decade, the nation still teeters on the brink of collapse. Now, the Emperor has granted generous contracts to the Imperial Mercantile Corps, a merchant guild who rose to power during the years when food shortages wracked the Empire - it was the Imperial Mercantile Corps that was responsible for negotiating trading contracts with the Attican Republic and with the Mountain Dwarves of the Northern Spyrlands, contracts which were vital to saving the remains of the Empire.
	The Spyrish are primarily human, though there are many Wild Elven tribes who travel through the deep, forgotten parts of the Empire, where humans haven’t tread in many years, if they ever knew it existed at all. gnomes are also not uncommon in the Empire, and in recent years, even some Pale Elves have managed the trek this far south. By and large, however, the Empire remains primarily human, and what remains of their crumbling economy and broken political system is still mired deeply in human bloodlines.

The Gambler’s Sea:
	The Gambler’s Sea is an inaccurate term, as it is used most often to describe a vast chain of islands, rather than an ocean. The islands of the Gambler’s Sea are numerous and mostly uncharted. Many are lush jungle paradises, which makes the entire area an attractive prospect to the powerful nations who are currently converging here. The islands themselves, while mostly uninhabited, are home to a handful of native species that haven’t been seen anywhere beyond the Gambler’s Sea.
	The Tritons are native to the Gambler’s Sea - a semi-aquatic race of humanoids, the Tritons live in scattered villages across the isles. Many of their villages mirror the Tritons own nature, built half above-ground and half below, among the coral reefs and sandy coves where the Tritons live. Little is known of their culture, and while initial human contact has not always resulted in bloodshed, both parties are uncertain of the other. It remains to be seen how the Tritons’ relationships with the other races will develop, especially as the Gambler’s Sea begins to play host to many more newcomers than it has ever seen before.
	Other inhabitants of the Gambler’s Sea include sahuagin and lizardfolk, who tend to stick to water and land, respectively. Both species have already posed a problem to the prospective settlers and merchants who’ve begun establishing outposts on the islands.

The People:
Human:

Zidaeshi: Dark-skinned, dark-eyed, and dark, curly-haired. Long before the Attican Republic ventured south, the Zidaeshi were the first humans to call the land home. Many live alongside the Rock Dwarves in their ancient cities, though many others live in villages of their own, scattered across the deserts and plains of Zidaesh. As a result, the Zidaeshi are less a civilization than a diverse, disparate group of people whose only commonality is the fact that they were born south of the Attican border. Some Zidaeshi have welcomed the incursion of their northern neighbors, particularly those who live among the Rock Dwarves, but the more isolated settlements and many of the wandering tribes have largely resisted the efforts of the Attican Republic to settle in the few hospitable locations in Zidaesh.

Attican: Tan-skinned, primarily dark-eyed and dark-haired. The people of the Attican Republic are primarily farmers or miners, engaged in physical labor across much of the nation. Those who live in the cities and larger towns are artisans and craftsmen. The Attican Republic also boasts a powerful military, an army of both foot soldiers and a navy of impressive force. Attican society values both prestige and loyalty to the Republic, and many Atticans seek careers in the military as a means of attaining respect and glory for their nation.

Spyrish: Fair-skinned and a wide range of hair and eye-colors. The Old Spyrish Empire was once a powerful, influential force, but much of their sway has crumbled over the past several hundred years, following the rise of the Attican Republic. More conniving even than the Rock Dwarves far to the south, the Spyrish are a clever, hardworking people run ragged by years of hardship. This has made them tough and paranoid, desperate to seize power as a means of survival. Though the Empire itself is a shadow of what it once was, the merchant companies and trade corporations have swelled in size, ripe with eager explorers, mercenaries, and ambitious people - all willing to get their hands dirty for a chance at the wealth and fame of an Empire past. Now, the Empire is attempting to expand into the Gambler’s Sea, hoping to ally with the native people of the islands before the Atticans take control of the region.

Northern Folk: Fair-skinned, light hair, light eyes. The initial human settlement in this land was several hundred years ago when Spyrish settlers ventured north and established villages along the coast and the northern valleys. Since then, the Spyrish expeditionary efforts have seceded, and the people left have developed a society and culture uniquely their own, born of the harsh, dangerous land they live in.

Elf:

Wild Elves: Known amongst themselves as the Mennai, the Wild Elves are a diverse, far-flung civilization. Their legends tell of ancestors who came from the heart of the world, a tribe who left the sanctuary of their home to brave the dangerous world beyond. This tribe traveled many paths, and the Wild Elves of today all claim to have once belonged to the first, original tribe. Now, while there is a generous amount of Wild Elves who have left their ancient tribes and live among human civilizations, most of the Mennai still wander along their secret paths. Some tribes interact regularly with humans or the other races who call these lands home, but far more tribes prefer to isolate themselves, lingering in the safety of the wilderness. Because the Wild Elves have spread so far, there is little of their appearance that is similar across all of their various cultures - beyond possibly their pointed ears, though even here there is variation. However, Wild Elves are generally darker-skinned than the Pale Elves, but lighter-skinned than the Dark Elves. They tend to have warm complexions, likely due to the fact that most of the Wild Elves live in yurts, tents, or the traveling wagons of the Mennai, and spend most of their time outdoors.

Pale Elves: The Pale Elves are a distant, little-known race of people who hail from beyond the far northern mountains. They have had sporadic contact with the Mountain Dwarves who live in the mountains, but humans only discovered the existence of the Pale Elves when the Old Spyrish Empire began pushing into the Northern Spyrlands, over sixty years ago. The Pale Elves are reclusive and enigmatic, a spiritual race of elves who claim to be wholly separate from the Wild Elves and Dark Elves to the south. The Pale Elves believe that they are the children of the goddess Numai, and that the few tribes of Pale Elves who wander the frigid wastelands are Dreamers, ancient children of Numai who were woken before their time. Many Pale Elves are deeply pious and spend most of their lives attempting to once more attain somniai, or the Dream, the half-waking state in which all Dreamers are believed to exist and be fully connected to Numai. Pale Elves are, as the name suggested, almost utterly devoid of color. Some have blonde hair, but most are completely white-haired. Their skin is fair and, when they are traveling in their northern homeland, often covered to protect it from the sun. Their eyes, too, are pale, often in shades of blue, green, or gold.

Dark Elves: The Dark Elves, somewhat ironically, are the race of elves most like humans. The Dark Elves live in the far south-east of Zidaesh, among the jungles and swamps there. Understanding of their origin is difficult to obtain - some believe that the Dark Elves were once a tribe of Wild Elves who were cursed by Lilit for attempting to steal the secret of eternal life. Others say that the Dark Elves are, just as the Pale Elves claim, an entirely separate race of elves, whose dark, ashy appearance simply reflects the volcanic environment they live in. Regardless of where they came from, the Dark Elves believe that they are superior to nearly all other peoples they come in contact with. They’ve spent centuries warring with the orcs who venture into the swamps along their northern border, and Dark Elven scouts have long fought with the Rock Dwarves of the vast Zidaeshi deserts. The Dark Elves, who refer to themselves as Dhai, have peculiar, ashy-grey skin. While it certainly aids them as a natural camouflage, it sets them entirely apart from the other races. Their hair and eyes are similarly dark.

Dwarf:

Mountain Dwarves: A reclusive race who dwell in the mountain ranges of the Northern Spyrlands. Renowned as smiths, architects, hunters, and explorers, the Mountain Dwarves enjoy a mostly amicable relationship with the humans who share their lands. Society among the Mountain Dwarves operates on a class-based system, with a strict set of requirements to succeed in a particular trade, many of which require years of training to master. Though the Mountain Dwarves are not born into their Classes, Classes are often carried through families, with generations of Rangers, Warriors, or Scholars in the same family line. While seeing Mountain Dwarves in human settlements isn’t uncommon, it is rare that dwarves who aren’t in the Merchant Class or Ranger Class beyond the hidden reaches of their cities. Mountain Dwarves are often fair-skinned and stocky, shorter than humans at heights ranging from four to five-and-a-half feet. The clans who live in the mountain ranges further south tend toward darker coloring, with darker hair and eyes than their brethren who live in the farthest northern reaches of the Northern Spyrlands.

Rock Dwarves: The Rock Dwarves, cousins to the Mountain Dwarves of the Northern Spyrlands, live in the vast canyons and deserts of Zidaesh. The Rock Dwarves often claim to have been the original settlers of the land, and hold the marvels of their ancient, beautiful cities as testament to that. Society is fiercely competitive, driven largely by the ambitious and innovative nature of its people, and the Rock Dwarves prize themselves for being ruthless, cunning negotiators. Far less isolationist than their northern kin, the Rock Dwarves have historically welcomed trade with other races, though they have fought many long wars with the Orcs who linger within their territory.

Gnomes:
The gnomes are an odd race, rarely seen but nearly always remarkable. Most live apart from human civilization, in gnomish villages that outsiders are almost never permitted to enter. Their society is highly secretive, each village ruled by a matriarch, and each community seemingly completely separate and yet somehow intrinsically connected to each other. Magic runs deep in gnomish blood, and the few gnomes who venture into human lands often become venerated mages, achieving positions of considerable power in the great human nations. Gnomes themselves are diminutive creatures, standing at only three to four feet tall. Their physiology is rather different from a human’s - they have large, owlish eyes, pointed ears, and large heads that often seem to not-quite fit their small bodies.

Tritons:
Tritons are a race of beings only recently discovered by human civilizations. They live in the Gambler’s Sea, their half-submerged cities hidden along inlets and bays, protected by colorful coral reefs and the steep cliffs and treacherous jungles of the islands. Little is known of triton society, but they are both powerful warriors and wise mystics - spirituality seems to be a central point of their culture, and they worship vast number of beings who they define as spirits rather than gods. Harmony and community are the most important parts of triton society, and every triton works and lives for their people. Their relationships with the human nations is uneasy, though no open struggles have yet occurred - tensions run high in the Gambler’s Sea, however, and many tritons seem to believe that conflict is inevitable, though many tribes are reluctant to engage in warfare with the powerful fleets that the humans command, content instead to let them fight amongst themselves.

The Gods:
The Matron: Goddess of Battle, Strategy, War, Justice, and Honor.
Hoar: God of Winter, Cold, Frost, Vengeance, and Suffering.
Numai: Goddess of Dreams, Music, Protection, Divination, and Healing.
Crane: God of Fortune, Secrets, Luck, Travelers, Messengers, Roads, and Borders.
Bastion: God of Civilization, Progress, Innovation, Order, Mining, and Fire.
Lilit: Goddess of Knowledge, Study, Magic, Intelligence, Judgment, and Navigation.
Myne: God of Animals, Hunting, Wilderness, Death.
Myra: Goddess of the Hearth, Agriculture, Fertility, Life.