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THE OTHER COUNTRIES
 Fiore Fiore strongly resembles a renaissance era city with Italian style architecture, predominantly with domed roofs. A country of perpetual renaissance, Fiore's beautiful cities are known across Earthland for their breathtaking architecture and the ingenuity of their inventors. Despite its scenic vistas, Fiore is also a dangerous country. Every sleeve hides a dagger, every smile a lie. Fiore is home to countless intrigues and plots. The lords of Fiore vie for supremacy. Move is met with countermove, and trust with betrayal, all under the auspices of the monarch of the moment Here, the fine print has fine print. Beneath the thin veil of civility, political factions and ruthless minds vie for control of Crocus.
Seven Similar to Hellenic Greece, Seven is a country supposedly governed by the gods, where heroes face monsters, the sea rages, people offer burnt offerings and adventures take place. It is defined by mankind's struggle against the primal forces of the world, and mankind's conflict with the many other sapient races that populate the world. Sevese believe that the country is ruled by an awe-inspiring pantheon of gods. Mortals tremble before them, feel the sting of their petty whims, and live in terror of their wrath. It is a country where barbaric, cave-dwelling minotaurs descend on wayward travelers. Giants stalk the land, drawing strength from the terrain on which they tread. At sea, massive krakens prowl its depths, and sirens lure its sailors to their demise. Yet amid such colossal perils, mortals have found a way to endure, and it is here that the hero's mantle is raised highest. Not only have the mortals endured, they have managed to thrive, for Seven it is also a country where civilization is protected behind the walls of great poleis, each city-state a bulwark against the raging monsters that roam the more savage places of Seven.
Bosco Bosco is a powerful country with a fearsome reputation. To those beyond its borders, Bosco is brutal, expansionist and threatening, yet those who look beyond its warlike exterior see an unusually inclusive society, where the strengths and talents of its people are respected and cultivated. Its people were once a fierce reaver culture until they stormed the ancient city that now lies at the heart of their empire. Under threat from all sides, they aggressively took the fight to their enemies, pushing their borders outward with every passing year. This struggle for survival has made the Boscosi a deeply proud people who value strength above all, though that strength can manifest by many different means. Anyone can rise to a position of power and respect within Bosco if they display the necessary aptitude, regardless of social standing, background, homeland, or wealth.
Iceberg Iceberg can mostly be compared to the Nordic regions. It is a harsh and unforgiving land. Proud and fiercely independent, its people are born warriors, with a strong raiding culture. While there are many individual tribes within Iceberg, the battle lines are being drawn in civil wars that will determine the future for them all. Iceberg one of the most rugged regions on Earthland; not only containing five of the highest peaks on the continent, but also very snowy and cold. Much of Iceberg is vertical; mountains, cliffs, and deep valleys. The vast majority of settlements cling to these valleys.
Stella Stella's perimeter is mountainous, with the mountains generally rising from relatively narrow plains. The country's interior is a high plateau divided into northern and southern regions by the transection of various mountain ranges. Stella is debatably the home to oldest known civilization of Earthland. The land is filled with numerous buried and underwater ruins that many scholars believe dates back almost a millennia. It is nestled between three countries, Bosco, Joya and Iceberg and shares a strait with the mighty Minstrel. Despite its location, Stella has maintained its own integral and unique culture. Some argue that it has evolved into its current state through numerous invasions and alliances that brought a multitude of culture together. Others say that it has held fast to its own interpretations despite being challenged multiple times. The people of hamlets, villages, towns, and cities—the basic political units of the Stellan population—hold local identities that are rooted not only in differences of local geography and microclimate but also in perceived cultural differences made concrete in folklore and symbolic usages.
Joya Joya is a country easily reminiscent of feudal era Japan. Where samurai serve their lords or roam around, shinobi serve in the shadows, and monks protect with their iron fists and bodies. Being a samura in Joya is more than just a job. It is a way of life. The samurai take as their creed, a rigid value system of discipline and honor that required them to live and die in the service of their lords. If commanded, true samurai are expected to give their lives without hesitation. Any form of disgrace — cowardice, dishonor, defeat — reflected poorly on the lord and was reason enough for a samurai to commit suicide by seppuku, or ritual disembowelment. In return for this devotion, the lord provided protection, financial security, and social status — in short, a reason to live. The samurai swear unwavering loyalty to their immediate masters in the chain of command.
Desierto The empire of Desierto was once a thriving civilization that spanned a vast desert. After an era of growth and prosperity, the fall of its gleaming capital left the empire in ruins. Over millennia, tales of Desierto's glorious city became myth and religion among the descendants of the scattered survivors. Most of the nomadic inhabitants of Desierto search for basic sustenance in an unforgiving land. Some defend small outposts built around a few oases. Others hunt buried riches among the ruins of the fallen empire, or obtain mercenary work, taking coin for their deeds before disappearing back into the sands. Still, in this day and age, many powerful cities exist in Desierto, but it is no longer what it used to be. Its harsh environment has ensured that the region is rarely invaded by outsiders. The Shahs, the rulers in Desierto, can easily navigate their armies to cripple and destroy any invader. What is even more fearsome is that even the nomadic tribes in Desierto can pose the same threat to armies from other countries.
Bellum It is fascinating that Bellum was nothing but a group of independent towns not more than a few centuries ago, but has now grown to be one of the superpowers in Earthland. The towns joined together to form a single large city that serves as their capital, where the leaders formed the Senate, the most powerful body of government in Bellum. To ensure partiality, greed, corruption and other such debilitating qualities do not take deep root within this conglomeration, the Senate elected two leaders every year, who took charge of the government and military. Each pair of leaders, wanting to outdo the ones before, strove to improve the country further both economically and militarily, and this continuous iteration is one of the key reasons for Bellum’s rapid growth.
Sin Sin is a small country with a wide range of terrains and climates within it. Despite the country's size, its geographical features range from mountain ranges, deserts to coastlands, and have all helped shape Sinese history. Most of the history of Sinese civilization, including the ancient period, has traditionally been divided into dynasties. The succession was, in the overwhelming majority of cases, hereditary. At times, the huge country has been united under a single emperor. At other times, several competing dynasties have divided the country between them. The last unified dynasty broke up into several successor states recently. This opened a period of weakness for Sin, when no single dynasty was able to establish its rule over the whole country, and when barbarians from surrounding regions were able to found a multitude of states within Sin. While it is a dark period in Sin, by no means does it thwart the hope of its people. Despite the societal disruptions, declining trade and shrinking cities, officials continue to govern efficiently, and Sinese civilization continue largely as before, hoping that a new dynasty would arise to once again rule Sin as a single empire.
Enca Enca is an independent country ruled by a hereditary monarchic chiefdom. Its capital city is notable for being made almost entirely out of ice. Even though much of its territory encompasses largely inhospitable tundra terrain, Enca always thrived in its isolation. The people of Enca are traditionally conservative and very spiritual. Enca is generally peaceful, and strives to live in harmony with nature and the other nations of the world. Enca is less powerful than most countries, due to its geographical location and the small size of its population and economy. The economy is dependent on the ocean, given the country's location and lack of arable land, apparent manufacturing capacity or minable resources.
Minstrel Minstrel has established quite a dominance in terms of land that it owns which is quite a feat given that it is surrounded by threats. It shares land borders with Joya and Desierto, both of which are formidable foes, while also being quite exposed at sea. The gulf is shared between Fiore, Stella and Minstrel while it also is in close proximity with Caelum. Given its location, it is not a small feat that it is managed to retain its glory and either through collaboration or through agreements after needless wars, Ministrel has kept its people safe. The country is famous for advancement with naval technologies, given its large and beautiful coast line, as well as known for its desserts and breads.
Caelum Caelum is a thriving, progressive country whose power and influence are on the rise. It is Caelum's cultural center, where art, craftsmanship, trade, and innovation walk hand in hand. Its power comes not through military might, but the engines of commerce and forward-thinking. Situated at sea and overlooking the ocean, fleets of ships pass through its titanic sea-gates, bringing goods from all over the world. The wealth this generates has given rise to an unprecedented boom in the country's growth. Caelum has - and still is - reinventing itself as a country where fortunes can be made and dreams can be lived. Burgeoning merchant clans fund development in the most incredible endeavors: grand artistic follies, esoteric research, and architectural monuments to their power.
Pergrande Kingdom Pergrande Kingdom is a very large and unique continent-sized country, with many tribes and diverse ethnic peoples, each with its own culture, language, customs, and history. It is the most eastern country of Earthland, isolated by a series out mountains at their borders. Despite Pergrande kingdoms vast size rivaling the rest of Earthland in size, it is one of the most structured governments within the continent. Perhaps also because most people in Pergrande Kingdom are capable of speaking a variation of their lingua franca over there, besides their native languages, which is dubbed as the Pergrandi language.
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