Newrp: Nations

Merania.

Merania is a country, located in the northeastern region of Balen. It's territories spread over the present mountain ranges, and a bit of the fields surrounding them, making it a relatively small, although, comparatively, average towards the other nations. Merania has few cities however, and even fewer villages.

Merania is the main propagators of firearms. They invented them, and they have the largest supply present. They offer the services of their engineers and riflemen for hire, which is usually against a very hefty sum. Throughout this, they have made sure not to provide any of their secrets under any circumstances. No other nation has thus been able to replicate the fearsome gunpowder.

Their capital, Alphias is situated on top of the deck, of a massive airship, the Albatros. It is more of a large flying platform, suspended by a set of engines, hidden among the mountains. It is bustling with life and activity, and it has a pattern of movement which requires provided coordinates to track down. Travel is carried out by airships alone.They also have the Academy City, a center for the preparation of the Gunpowder Academics, the division Merania provides to the Magister's Order.

Merania however, has another societal formation. The more modernized population does indeed occupy the airship cities, or the ones built in mountain plateaus, with whatever they can, and even the few ones present in the fields, there is a part of the populace confined to more ancient dwellings.

Built in similar plateaus or caves, these ancient cities are home to a large amount of the population of Merania, who, even if in part, technologically more...modern, still live by the ancient social arrangements, and under the ancient rulers...the Bards. It is these powerful and mysterious wizards who control the old cities.

They used to be the ruling class, and Merania was, specifically a land of Bards rule. They are wizards who are gifted with the ability to play magical instruments. These instruments are said to be able to directly communicate with spirits, and even bind them to their will, depending on the power and age of the instrument used.

The Bards are arranged in a council, of an unfixed number of Bards, but usually one or two per area, or even none. They elect a leader upon the death of the old leader. The leader him or herself have some added privileges and duties, they can pass out certain regulations for the cities to follow, as well as organize the council.

These cities have a stronger social hierarchy, while the ones floating in airship, are not so separate. The Bards, and the nations ruling body, composed of City Masters, as well as a Grand Governor, the official who monitors every city master, as well as a Councillor, a man who possesses the greatest legislative power on Merania. Of course, the Great Bard, the leader of the council is also included, in an advisory role. Bards themselves are equivalents of City Masters, for the cities where their rule still remains enforced.



Underfallen Valley.

Once upon a time, there existed a growing, blooming center of trade and civilization in the exit of Merania's mountains. They were growing out to be something great, perhaps even the center of a new empire. Yet, the mages and researchers of this place, the Golden Valley, found out something that, according to the time's chronicles was terrifying, and immensely dangerous.

Thus, some force, yet unknown, much like whatever was found in its depths, intervened. It crushed the grounds beneath it, and brought the valley down, on its own standing ground, and then, took the shattered remnants, and placed them on top, binding these with powerful, yet dangerous magic. They were trapped underground, with only small passages allowing people to come and go. Sunlight was something they spend most time, deprived of, yet at periods of the day, openings provided it.

The city is however, still growing, and is the center of some different trade. That is, a global black market. It provides its existence simply, by a special group of trained assassins, and covert operatives known as Raven Weavers. These are brought to the Magister's Order, and thus, the order itself, with its deep rooted relations towards the empire protects them, and ensures their existence, as well as keeps an eye closed onto their actions.

It is no secret, it is also a gathering point for many cursed, although home only to two types out of ten, the Cavern Shamans and Arachnid Stalkers. The Cavern Shamans are, however, a key point of the city hierarchy. Arachnid Stalkers, while not as pivotal to the administrative chain, are still a noted, and separate population group, not a minority, and with their own separate living area within the Valley. Purple Stalkers are however, the ones who tend to exit it, and reach out into society the most.

The Valley is not actually a disordered place. Most people have heard of that reputation, yes, but it is key to note that this place, has in fact, no lack of order. There is a Mayor, as it functions much like a city, and a Council, each member tasked with specific management issues. While most visitors would only hear about the transport, healthcare and education, perhaps trade administrators, there are assumed to be quite a few more. Nobody knows why, or what functions they have, if they even exist, but it is a most widespread rumor.

There is also, a state of mild terror within the Valley. Officers of the Council, serve much like a secret police. It is no unknown fact, that people who go down there, may never come out, or be seen again. The "officers" are powerful and very much feared members of society as well. There is also assumed to be a very expansive information network, as well as one that expands much further than just the Valley. It is rare for people coming from outside of it, to actually become established members of the Valley as well.

Certain other groups, smaller and more obscure, or perhaps not as small but appearing so due to said obscurity exist. Sorcerers, practitioners of dubious arts and forms of magic, gather at ancient sites, of unknown purpose, and oft assumed to be tied to the events that lead to the formation of the valley for example, as well as gatherings of raven weavers, not tied to the Order, for one reason or another.


Enai

The Enaite are a race far older than man, as they claim. This is, as recounted by their eldest sages, untrue. The Enaite are a race far older than man in terns of their use of magic. Their life force was bound to various creatures of nature, sometimes even trees, or the elements, true, but they were coexisting with mankind in those days. According to further legends, the Enaite and men were contacted by a bizarre entity in their earlier days.

A dragon, whose scales were covered in a beautiful, crystal blue shine, and that emanated a glorious light, of pure energy. Sarkath, the Immortal, taught humans and Enaite together, how to weave into mana. But while men made proper sorcery out of it, the Enaite melded this new knowledge into their old abilities, forming their modern source of magic.

Thus, Enai was formed, out of the tribes that united in their use of this magic. They first are said to have birthed their gigantic Primal Tree, then the great city that spreads from it. The leaders of these main tribes, then proceeded to hone their own special style of forming bounds, and then spirit sabers. A noble of Enai would never join the Order as well.

More common Enaite can also bound, or elect to not do so. Their power over nature is obvious, even with the smallest members, yes, but their population is not as large. Their more advanced and powerful castes often remain isolated from the world. The Enai have also had long standing issue with many forest species. They have clashed many times in the past, and at last, succeeded over them.

Enai is nowadays a nation that is widely respected. Its power is undoubted, an its effort to maintain the balance of the world as well. Their most ancient scholars are revered for their effort, into looking onto other worlds and seeing threats that might come forth. Oft, these scholars are the most ancient Spirit Sabers as well, and their power is truly fearsome.

Necropolis.

Land of the...not so alive. It is a fabled location hidden somewhere in the north, amidst the cold and death. It is said, from there a river flows, unnamed, for it is too tainted to be fished on, swam on or sailed on. It is populated by the undead. The city itself has a chaotic architecture, or so they say, and the surrounding lands are dark, lacking any other life from the undead. The territory itself, is not even approached by monsters of any sort.

Necropolis itself is composed of a massive, central city, that lies part underground, and part above, and it is much like a great fortress. The skull of a massive beast lies at the front, its face cut snd carved out, with the teeth shattered off, and then chained behind it, to serve as a massive gate of some sort. Nobody really knows just what this creature used to be, and necromancers have tried to reanimate it continously, but it  has failed, in every single attempt.

It is also said, the rest of its bones make the bigger fragment of the fortress. Beyond this, the surroundings are small tribes of specialized warriors, ones that mainly defend the perimeter of the city, and do not allow any uninvited comers, and any other sort of life form.  Beneath the ground, the city is far more expansive, and it is where most of the activity happens. It also bears most of the population as well.

The above ground fortress is where the necromancers live. They conduct their activity there, and are guarded by their own undead troops. A compact, but strong force, that is enough to ward off the assaults of the underground population... Those being, the rest of the undead. These ones have been freed from necromancer control, and now handle things as they wish, mostly building their own structures and government.

The necromancers are lead by an elder council, that is what mostly takes the decisions involved in the ruling and whatnot. The undead however, have certain tribes, usually of the undead that belonged to specific necromancers or necromancer groups, and each thus have a leader elected among them. These was leaders organize the raids on the surface. It is however, a slow, tedious battle, as the above-grounders hold considerable power, and highly powerful, non-fragmented soul undead. The undergrounders have them too, yet at smaller numbers.

It is a little known fact, that there exists a small faction of necromancers and undead, which seeks to unite both sides. It seems however, to have escaped the notice of most of the world, even as the Order begins to grow its influence in the city. They provide no units, but the Dragon Knights are said to spend a good deal of their training period here, fighting whatever they can, and saving broken, and enslaved souls whenever they can.

Krakenport.

Ah, Krakenport. Located at the very southern bit of the main continent. It is in fact, not a single port per say, but a collection of harbors that fill the whole shoreline. There are eight areas where areas similar to fjords are formed, except the land around them is less elevated. Thus, of course, providing space and freedom for whatever ports need forming. In the end, the first eight harbors formed, were in this very area, thus, giving it the name Krakenport. This is also due to, from above, these ports and the landscape gave the view of eight giant tentacles.

In fact, it is said the original namer of the area was an airship explorer, a man only known as the Black Henry. Krakenport, thus, was formed a good while ago, mostly by merchants and explorers who, finding the land too competitive for a small part, or wishing to explore the seas, or perhaps even seeing it as a great idea, gathered up, and formed the new "country". While it is indeed known as a legal nation of its own, and it has some sort of central government, this is barely what Krakenport is known for.

Piracy. And the best place to get a ticket to underwater, wherever that may be. The varied underwater realms as a matter of fact are hidden here. Several spots compose this place. Krakenport is just the main external snd closest to the continent. The Beak is another location, composed of well, the body of a massive ship. It has been fixed in place, and itself serves as a mini-city. It is oft considered the capital of the area, as well as the place where the richer and more powerful members of it go.

Now there are a few other things to note. The Crystal Caverns for example, lying beneath some of Krakenport and inhabited by aquatic species of any sort. Merfolks mostly. The crystal caverns serve as half a city, and whenever they become unveiled or on certain set days, turn into a massive market, a rather large exchange of products between the undersea dwellers and men of Krakenport. The other hot spot is the Shark Pit. A massive underwater prison in the shape of an incredibly deep hole, with smaller ones dug on the sides of it. The worse you are, the deeper off you are thrown.

Needless to say, this place is heavily guarded as well. Underwater, there is also a massive ship graveyard, not to mention as it serves the role of a massive barrier to sea monstrosities. A set of permanent boats and small ships have set residence around this, forming a so called wall. The sailors here are the most loyal and knowledgeable of the ways to dispatching these monsters, and not to mention, their incorruptibility. However, recent accusations have spread over the matter.

Sorovial.

The realm of legends. Nobody knows just where it is, even with all the explorers and exploration present. It may be due to how it has no borders, nor any sort of big cities, or even villages to be widespread, even though the word is their capital is magnificent, bathed in gold.

Sorovial is truly, a realm of legends alone. They are ruled by a king and queen described as the mightiest warrior and fairest maiden, as well as, apparently, their only defense being their legendary warriors. Sorovial is in fact. The nation which produces the most summoners out of all.

Some say it is located deep, deep into the woods, and some say it is in fact in another dimension, with a crossing into our world. Some say its located in a moving island that only comes close to the shores at seemingly random intervals...but truth is...nobody knows.


Revia.

The Kingdom of Revia is a nation mostly situated in the desert. It is, an apt comparison, at least for our readers to call it a mixture of ancient Egypt...and Las Vegas. Yes... The city, somewhere in America where apparently a lot of gambling happens. You know about it. Well... To be truthful, the desert of Revia is full of ancient spirits and monsters, a good few of them laid asleep beneath the sands. They are now, a somewhat successful and rich nation due to this recent...dying of activity one could say.

In the end, they all live in fairly comfortable conditions. There are few cities, but those are all big, rich centers, metropolises of some sort, incorporating outskirts where less than commerce or similar activities are carried out, mostly, raising of herds. As well as, masonry or similar sorts of builds. It is a known fact, the best architects come from here, as  well as a slightly less known one, about the best masons. They posses their own ancient writing, which has filled the old temples and structures. Nobody has fully deciphered those as of yet.

They produce seers, an invaluable unit of the Order as well, and this, are well involved into it. Some say that experiments or whatnot also freely happen within this desert. But nobody knows. The tribes of the desert do not really speak much of it, and they are quite lesser in numbers as well. Nonetheless, from what the local government says they are treated most well.

Beyond this, there are other complications. Mostly, how this place is seen as a tourist spot, and the king himself is deemed fairly irresponsible and prefers...living the easy life rather. They posses a fleet of airships, and down the south, they have a considerable harbor as well not to mention...of course, the casinos. Every city has at least two or three. At least. They seem to have been investing in mining of precious stones as well, and a minor expansion to lands behind the desert...economically so.

Military wise, they are not the most fearsome, only having a considerable guard of knights and horsemen, being nobles at it, and possessing their own personal following. This is mostly it, in terms of military, but the most elite are still a force to be noted. Now, the seers, and mages are what really shines. Sorcerers here are very strong practitioners of wind magic, curses, and runic magics... Sand mages however, are are a rarity. Only one is said to still be around at this day and age.

Arcrius.

Arcrius is the nation with the most mages. It is also the last remnant of the ancient Arcrius Kingdom. It is where magic and sorcery were first introduced, along with the traditions of knight-ship, and the feudal social order. Which was promptly improved upon over the ages. The Arcrius Kingdom was a great nation, back in its days, and only its ruins remain.

Upon some of the more well kept ruins, exist various cities, built using the older resources. These involve the ancient mana crystals and similar constructs, left behind from the great days of the old realm. Arcrius thus, developed strong magical foundations. As well as the same old tradition of knight-ship. There are several orders of knights within its borders, all serving under a key noble.

And of course, the magical academies. They live in tandem, and often the knights posses magical abilities, as well as artifacts. The magical councils formed over the various academies, or the one at the capital are known for their required physical training as well, leaving no important figure of Arcrius weak to any sort of combat. There is one place however, these people steer clear off.

Within Arcrius, one is warned to never reach to the unexplored or far off ruins. These are areas considered sacred, and beyond and above all, dangerous. Nobody quite knows what hides in there as well, only that the most selected remains of the old empire are assumedly hidden within them. It is not rare for...something, often something dangerous, to escape the ruins.

They would go out, and attack in the past years, something barely warded off for years, until help from the Order came. Nowadays, Arcrius lives in prosperity, and maintains a good position among the world, and in the Order, with its magic knights, but there is still the fear. The fear of what lies in its darker areas, which are locked off from visit. What happens, when the lights go out, and the guards suddenly dissapear?

The Hole.

Located far to the south, and then east, the Hole is a nation set in volcanic grounds, they are simply, the last line of defense, as well as the first, against the cursed remaining active. They are formed, as a nation of multiple cities, laying at the bottom of deep pits, dug in the ground. Having torn through the charred earth, it is now easy for them to settle in the bottoms. Three new holes are being made at this moment,

The Hole also utilized an underground cave system, although it is now rendered obsolete, by the emergence of airships and other flying vessels, as well as magic communication. They have some of the strongest defense systems, with sturdy gates, walls as well as devices and soldiers. Hole Tanks, are after all renown siege and defense units within the order. They may lack gunpowder, but they make up with their heavy mana engines  and metal working techniques.

The Hole is ruled by a council of senators,each elected per a layer of the Hole. Cities in this country are built simply, with layers. The deeper one goes however, the darker it gets, and nobody truly lives in the deepest layers, they leave machines to work there, autonomously. A Hole is dedicated to these automatons as well, letting them stay and repair there, as well as for retirement purposes.

Holes otherwise, suffer from certain issues. The main one would be the volcanic eruptions, although against those, they can easily defend, at the time. Apparently, the holes can close their top, or when the need arises, even collect the lava that comes out. Beyond this, the cities themselves have higher tier barriers or whatnot, of any sort.   Needless to say, these defenses also work against the cursed. Yet, this issue is a more difficult one to guard against.

Cursed are not accepted in the Hole, and as a matter of fact, outsiders too are generally seen with doubt and some degree of disdain. It just so happens the conditions these people have lived in, have made them more wary of the surrounding world. This is also reflected on their inventions, all, heavy, with thick, isolated covers.

Orun.

A northern nation. Orun is expansive, yet most of its lands are not used for any purpose other than hunting and herding. Orun cannot produce much in terms of agriculture, yet they have some of the largest herds of animals around. They are also the best riders, their mounts resisting the horrid cold, and dangerous conditions.

Orun Riders are its prime warriors. Born in the cold, they seek out a monster to bind with. Once they do, they can unleash their full power and might to the world. Orun Riders are also used in the military, yet they are not all there is to it. The Berserkers, mighty warriors of noble descent are of decent renown. These knight equivalents channel the spirit of their ancestors as pure wrath.

A berserker that has survived with a mostly intact mental state, can be appointed to higher positions in society. Orunians live in cities mostly, and even their villages are well walled, as the north is a harsh place, full of monsters and cursed.  Their architecture, while not as fine and glorified as the one of Revia, takes the first place in being large, imposing and majestic. Their walls are the most impenetrable it is said.

Beyond this, Orun has clear leadership. Their king proves himself not only through battle, but also diplomatic ability, and literary skill. A poem of the glorious record worthy of making one a king has to be written by said king to be, and it is forever stored in the archives of Orun. The King exerts great power, yet he has to keep many nobles in line.

Orunians have a well developed navy, their sailors being skilled and proven. Not only they posses the second largest fishing industry after Krakensport, but they also have some of the strongest fleets around.  Or perhaps it should be said, some of the strongest sailors instead.

Within Orun a strange war grows. Some clans follow the advice of their old sorcerers, and ride out into the cold for reasons known only to said sorcerers. Others, detest them, and have done what they can to banish the old mystics. his schism between the clans is threatening to end in a civil war.


The Magister's Order.

Less of a nation, but rather, a faction of its own. The Order has existed since a not so long time, as a matter of fact, when a nation turned itself into a multinational organization, and adapted a military like shape. The Order was thus, built from all the world in a way, one could say.

They house ten specific units, and train them to handle the threat of the cursed. The orders original purpose however, also involved world peace in some way. Knowledge of their internal workings are not made known, except for insiders and members.

The Irail Empire.

The Empire, formed out of a more politically active faction within the Order. Their capital is most centrally located within the former, much larger Order administrated grounds whereas the orders headquarters are further pushed ti a corner.  The Empire is one of the largest factions around, and definitively the most might military wise.

The Empire is known for its strong expansionist views. It has made constant attempts to send military expeditions all over the world, and while no war has happened, they have expressed the desire to merge with some nations. This is seen as a direct threat to their national integrity, yet no nation would truly dare to go out against and openly against the empire. But, for the best perhaps, neither would the empire.

They rely on a system of city complexes. The cities themselves are connected to smaller centers, each of which commanding a certain aspect, whether it be the economy, industry, agriculture, academics, perhaps even military. The main capital is massive, walled, and house to the nobles of the empire. Some say that a number of powerful entities and spirits reside within its confines.

The Emperor himself is of unknown ancestry, but it is said he hails from the original founders of the Order. He is known for possessing vast power, and also rumored to be more than just human. He has never been seen bleeding, nor has any assassination attempt, as of current counting upwards of 120 succeeded. The Emperor has also had a very active role in its politics, even heading some of their military expeditions.

The Empire is slightly skeptical towards use of automatons, but they are much more open to the less sentient and efficient, but easier to make and control golems. These are seen as a working class within the empire, and oft treated the same way due to the perceived lack of sentience. The Emperor however has decreed a law demanding they are taken very good care.

The Order can still use its facilities, and the empire isn't exempt from its power and commands. While the orders power has certainly waned, they still hold the entire world in a good strong grip. The empire itself is the one faction trying the most to break free nonetheless.

Green Isles Archipelago.

Detailed on the Content Release, section 4.