Kingdom of Illiniar

“By the power of our brave hearts, we shall crush any obstacle that stands in our way. We shall conquer every people and bring every country to its knees. Only then will order come to the world, and there shall be no more wars or suffering” — King Illiniar, founder and first ruler of the kingdom, 324 years ago.
No more than three centuries ago, Central Ertenia was in a state of constant chaos; this part of the continent was fragmented among numerous feudal states that never ceased military conflicts with one another, competing for power and influence. Illiniar and his followers managed to put an end to this: during the long life of the first ruler, the young but powerful and organized Kingdom of Illiniar expanded its borders through military expansion, eventually uniting most of the lands in the central part of the continent.
Today, the Kingdom of Illiniar is the largest state on the continent, with borders extending to the territories of both northern and southern Ertenia. Illiniar is a self-sufficient country; its vast lands abound with fertile soil and are rich in resources; all types of demanded crafts are developed, and science flourishes.
Structure
The country is ruled by a monarch and a royal council appointed by him; cities are governed by governors who possess only limited power; there are no social estates among the population: every person is a proud and free resident of the kingdom, or at least that is what people say.
Religion
“We shape our own destiny and live in the world that we build ourselves”— King Illiniar.
Since the founding of the kingdom, there has never been an official religion, and no representative of authority has attempted to popularize one. Followers of any beliefs, however, are not persecuted (unless their activities violate the law), and communities of the most diverse denominations can be found in various corners of the country.
Laws
Above all, human dignity and the right to a private life are respected in Illiniar. Despite this, there are certain norms of social behavior in the country (strict compared to other countries) that must not be violated.
For example, authorities will not take any measures against a drug addict poisoning himself in his own home, but they will immediately arrest a drug dealer or a person who decides to walk through the city streets naked.
Movement
Representatives of the human race, regardless of their origin and place of birth, can move freely throughout Illiniar.
Non-humans, in turn, are required to make a contribution of a certain amount of money to the state treasury in order to obtain a permit for movement across the country, which they must periodically renew.

Taosia

A complexly structured state located in the northern part of Central Ertenia. The territory of the country is divided among four warring clans:
Ito — a ninja clan that operates from the shadows. They never reveal the secrets of their techniques, and no one knows what goals they pursue. From time to time, they provide assistance to one country or another, but they themselves never strive to expand their spheres of influence... or perhaps they only create the appearance of this. There are rumors that Ito spies are present in every state of Ertenia.
Position of common people: for the Ito clan, they are nothing more than expendable material in their grand schemes.
Movement: free. Everyone who crosses the borders of the Ito clan is under surveillance; those who may pose a threat are eliminated immediately; those who can be used are recruited; no action is taken against others.
Matsubara-Matsuo — until recently, these two samurai houses competed with each other for the title of the strongest warriors (others besides the named ones were defeated and their territories incorporated into the remaining ones) of Taosia; however, noticing Ito's tightening grip on the country, the leaders of both clans decided to reconcile and create an alliance.
Position of common people: obligated to serve the warrior class.
Movement: free; travelers are not protected from the actions of the warrior class — they may welcome a tired traveler warmly, or they may cut him down if they dislike his face.
Hirano
“The battles of the samurai clans bring only chaos and destruction to our people; what is a valiant battle for these warriors is death and suffering for common people. But worse still, the problem is not only them: the evil activities of the Ito clan continue to grow in scale, and Uchiyama play with the secrets of life and death without fearing the consequences. This cannot go on. We must put an end to this and build a country where there will be no wars and everyone will be happy.” — Hirano Ayame, head of the Hirano clan.
Position of common people: not oppressed.
Movement: by permission
Uchiyama
The name of this clan is known far beyond Taosia in circles engaged in the study of magic. The witchcraft of the Taosian casters, unlike traditional magic, is aimed not at controlling energy, but at strength of spirit and understanding the sacred meaning of life and death. Unlike other clans, they do not strive to wage wars, wishing to live isolated from the rest of the world.
Position of common people: not oppressed.
Movement: not permitted

Forests of Melhoria

Melhoria is that part of Central Ertenia that civilization has failed to reach despite all the efforts of the Kingdom of Illiniar and its neighbors. Wild animals, wondrous plants, amazing creatures — all this can be seen in the Forests of Melhoria... if you do not lose your life along the way.
The most numerous inhabitants of these lands are goblins and Melhorians, as they call themselves. Both live in small settlements scattered here and there.
Goblins
Few humans have seen their place of origin with their own eyes, but very many have encountered them outside Melhoria — these small, cunning, and agile creatures often venture out of the magical forest and parasitize human cities, performing the dirtiest work.
Melhorians
Dark-skinned and fair-haired, these people are among the most dangerous predators of Melhoria. They live in unity with nature, but at the same time, they engage in hunting more than anyone else — it is their main craft.

Darnia

A small state cozily situated in the western part of Melhoria. What can be said about Darnians? Despite their peace-loving nature, they are excellent warriors, and blacksmiths from all over the world would envy the quality of their armor. They are wise philosophers, outstanding scientists, and talented sorcerers. Then why are they so rarely encountered outside Melhoria? The high leadership of Darnia does not maintain any relations with other countries of Ertenia and, thus, this people lives isolated from the rest of the world. Most agree with this, but there are many who leave their homeland to change their lives and see the world with their own eyes.
This is an honest people who do not throw words to the wind; only a rare representative among them would stoop to lying or betrayal.
Their belief in the love of a lifetime plays a great role in the life of Darnians; they approach the matter of romantic relationships very cautiously and practically never enter into extramarital relations.

Kalevritia

“I. Be moderate in your desires; wish and do no evil to another; be modest and honest; always remain calm; do not yield to lust; have no doubts.
II. Always help others to the best of your ability; work not only for yourself but also for the good of others.
III. Act according to the holy scripture and never contradict the clergy” — the three main rules of a Kalevrite's life.
Kalevritia is an ancient theocratic state located southwest of the Kingdom of Illiniar. Kalevrites believe in one god who left them when humanity sank into sin.
“O Lord, grant me the strength to free these wretched souls from their suffering”
Kalevritia conducts constant military campaigns against countries and settlements of non-humans. In the opinion of Kalevrites, all non-humans were once human but changed by following the path of sin; therefore, defeating them is their duty.
Movement
By permission (humans); non-humans are captured and executed.

Geirt

The inhabitants of these lands are one of the most warlike peoples of Ertenia; the life, own customs, and traditions of this people are tied to war and the warrior's craft. A person's dignity is determined by their abilities in battle and past feats, while sorcerers are despised.
Geirtians live in tribes and constantly fight among themselves, not so much out of a desire to expand their lands as out of the necessity of combat itself. They treat enemies with respect, at least if they deserve it.
From time to time, they unite for joint attacks on neighboring states. Geirtians kill everyone who resists; women are kidnapped, old people are left alone, and children are taken with them to be raised as warriors.

Nozenroth

Nozenroth is a small but very wealthy state located northeast of the Kingdom of Illiniar. The ruling dynasty possesses absolute power, followed by landowners, then petty aristocracy, and only then commoners with limited rights and freedoms.
The nobles of this country are polite, respect hierarchy, and follow high moral standards. The latter, however, is not always true: while many aristocrats of Nozenroth are indeed guided by a strict code of conduct, there are those who live as they please — they mock commoners in every way, organize orgies, and commit various kinds of villainy. But of course, no one publicizes this.
The Knights of Nozenroth deserve separate attention — nobles and particularly distinguished commoners who have earned the honor of bearing the title of the country's most valiant warriors.

Assaria

The Assarian dungeons are in the northern part of Central Ertenia, where the mysterious people of Assarians reside — dark-skinned humanoids capable of seeing in the dark and superior to other races in many ways. Assarians are prone to asceticism and never stop perfecting their skills, whether it be archery or studying spells. The abundance of underground monsters keeps them from getting bored, providing an unlimited supply of opponents for training.
The art of death is one of the forms of martial arts of the Assarians and perfectly demonstrates the serious attitude and cultural significance of their attempts to achieve perfection in any given pursuit.

Northern Ertenia

Yorun

This part of the continent places its inhabitants under very difficult living conditions: inhuman cold, wind that pierces to the bone, snowstorms and avalanches — people of the north face all this every day, but for not everyone is the main enemy the cold and other weather phenomena — Yorun people have learned to build large cities and even majestic fortresses in these lands, but they still haven't managed to stop internal strife or properly protect small settlements from the tyranny of Yan'Shi and the cruelty of barbarians.
Yorun is governed by jarls who are (most often) hostile toward each other. Residents of small towns and villages follow old traditions and live not in families, but in communities (2-4 families plus orphans and other people who failed to find a home). It is not customary for members of these communities to carry surnames.

Yan'Shi

Yan'Shi are often called children of winter, lords of cold, and other cool names, which in turn is well-deserved since over long years of living in these lands they have adapted best to the harsh conditions of the north.
Yan'Shi are few, taciturn, very arrogant, and show almost no emotion. They rarely leave the north, live in small numbers, do not need food or water, and sometimes slumber for months, more due to a lack of any business than out of necessity.
Children of winter experience no sexual desire, cannot have children, and their origin remains a mystery even to themselves; from time to time, new lords of cold appear in the coldest corners of the north.

Asvaldr

The most massive mountain range of Northern Ertenia is inhabited by dwarves — humanoids of short stature but very strong build. Peace-loving and friendly, dwarves are often subjected to attacks by barbarians, Yan'Shi, and Yorunians, and thus over long years of defensive war they were forced to hone their combat mastery.
Few know what the dwarves do in the depths of their underground world, but thanks to established trade with Illiniar and Nozenroth, the whole world has seen their products made of precious metals and gemstones, as well as unique weapons and armor.
Dwarves have no kings or other masters; each person's wealth depends on their profession and skill. Achieving mastery in some craft is one of the greatest aspirations in their lives. Their labor is hard, but dwarves love it.

Ingi

The barbarians of the north or, as they call themselves, Ingi — a wild people to whom the concept of civilization is unknown; they are killers and cannibals who have strayed not far from the level of animals.
Ingi live in small scattered settlements and lead a very aggressive lifestyle, making constant raids on neighbors. After a successful raid, all defeated men of the enemy are roasted over fire and eaten, or left for later — the low temperature of these lands helps preserve provisions in proper condition for a long time. Women face a slightly different fate — they become mothers to barbarian children, but subsequently are also used as food.
Ingi are much larger and stronger than humans, but not very smart, and cannot use magic at all.

Southern Ertenia

Orcs

In their way of life, the valiant warriors of the south are in many ways similar to Geirtians; however, unlike them, they lead a nomadic lifestyle and view magic normally. Orcs call people who practice sorcery shamans, believing among themselves that they are closest to nature. The tribal chief usually becomes the strongest warrior or (more rarely) the wisest shaman.
The nomadic nation of warriors regularly raids settlements of Southern Ertenia residents, periodically even venturing north, closer to the center of the continent.
Many of them can also be found in Illiniar as mercenaries who have tasted another life.
Orcs believe in the power of natural elements and that the life energy of every person consists of a certain element.

Shuna

One of the oldest civilizations of Ertenia. These scorpion-like people live in independent city-states scattered across the south. Each city has its own king or queen (elected); the priesthood enjoys great influence (the pantheons of cities differ from each other); there are no social layers as such (except for the two mentioned above), and the concept of marriage is absent.
Captured orcs or humans face the fate of a slave or an exquisite dish on a Shunian's table.

Wastelanders

For a human in Southern Ertenia, there are many fascinating ways to spend time: one can die of thirst or get sunstroke, drown in the sands or get lost in boundless deserts, become breakfast for Shunians or a guinea pig for the warlocks of Ishanad. In other words: surviving here is difficult. But it is precisely this that forced the wastelanders to adapt and become stronger.

Ishanad

Long ago, long before the birth of King Illiniar, one of the numerous kingdoms of Central Ertenia housed a prominent academy of magic, known for its successes in the most diverse spheres of this science. Unfortunately for the mages, the king and his feudals at the time viewed their activities very coldly, and one day they were given an ultimatum: renounce research or be exiled from the country. There were many who left the art of magic, but there were those who refused. Since then, they wandered for a long time, and they were welcome nowhere. Eventually, life led the unfortunate warlocks south, where they found lands that belonged to no one. This day marked the beginning of Ishanad.
Ishanad is a terrible place for a weak mind unprepared for the horrors awaiting it, for this land was created by human hands and is an embodiment of their fantasies.

Teios

At the very south of the continent are the volcanic lands and fiery dungeons of Teios — this is the name mentioned in Illiniar records, although other names can be found in different corners of Ertenia. The local inhabitants speak a simple language and simply call this place "home," so these lands have no official name.
The lustful inhabitants of Teios are widely known in the folklore of many peoples as evil beasts characterized by a love for sadism. Their victims are forced to serve their mistresses in the fiery lands, performing various tasks and participating in cruel entertainment.
Kalevrites are certain that these women represent the pinnacle of human degradation and should be immediately destroyed. Perhaps if it weren't for the acres of wasteland separating them, that is exactly what would have happened. For less fanatical minds, however, they remain no less of a mystery. Only one thing is known for sure — their population is not growing.

Tilian Archipelago

The inaccessible islands of the Tilian Archipelago, located east of Ertenia, are home to a people whom almost everyone fears. These villains sink merchant (and even military) ships, rob coastal cities, engage in slave trade, and generally do whatever they please.
They have no government and, consequently, no written laws; their leaders in any given matter are people possessing exceptionally strong charisma — those who are feared and respected. They establish the order in the local cities.
Tilians are prone to adventure, dislike staying in one place, and prefer to live brightly, enjoying every moment.