By Nick the Gamesmith
https://www.kastelogames.com/
Today, the Gods of Nosu have a much closer relationship with their followers than in ages past. They encourage and empower them to live heroic, meaningful, and satisfying lives. On the Southern Continent, three nations rose from the ashes of the Ronic Empire: Akarnas, Ofenea, and Dinn. Each has a unique population, economy, and culture.
The Kingdom of Akarnas
From the temperate Vert River Valley to the vast tundra of the Bearded Glaciers, Akarnas is the great nation of the South. It is a country of woodlands and ice, the home of many Elves and Halflings, and the most religious and militaristic of the three nations.
King Daron (of the Talen Royal Dynasty) currently reigns over Akarnas as an absolute monarch from his throne in Geshire, the Royal Citadel. He rules through a feudal hierarchy of Nobles and Lords. In addition to this traditional system, several independent villages and communities are granted a significant level of autonomy and self-governance as long as they pay the King’s taxes. Most villages and cities have guard towers where royal soldiers are stationed to keep the peace.
Akarnas is the southernmost country of the Southern Continent. Along its northwestern border is Mount Urnick, the tallest mountain in Nosu (and home to a family of white dragons). Its mid-section is covered in rich woodlands, including the Feytouched Forrest (known for containing portals to the Feywild) the Battowick Woods, and the Tallomir Forest. The Antau Peaks are Nosu’s southernmost mountains. There, the Caves of Riddaz, an underground network of tombs, tunnels, and dungeons may be found. Further south are the Bearded Glaciers, an endless snowscape.
The Republic of Ofenea
From the near-endless storms of the North, to the jagged peaks that tower over its central desert, Ofenea, is the fearless nation of the West. It houses the mountain halls of the Dwarves, the fertile fields of the Half-Giants, and the criss-crossing rails of steam locomotives. Ofenea is the most modern and technologically advanced of the three nations.
The Forum, Ofenea’s governing body, is comprised of representatives from each of its seven provinces. Each province has its own laws and customs for choosing its representatives. Some representatives are chosen through democratic elections. Others claim their office by besting their rivals in combat. One province even selects its representative by rolling dice. Whatever the methodology that granted them power, no representative may stay in office for longer than one year. Each province collects its own taxes and maintains its own army.
Ortis is Ofenea’s triangular isle to the North. It is near the world’s equator and is covered in humid jungles. Floating ten miles above the ocean is Zenithest, isle of the sky. (The core of Zenithest is made of an exotic pink mineral that is only found within the impact crater around Dinn’s Isle of Seren.) The northeastern Storm Fields are extremely fertile and produce an abundance of food. The Central Fodio Desert is home to the Rainbow Maze, a labarynthian network of canyons. Along the boarder with Akarnas is the Lankas Valley and the Coconut Bay.
The Nation of Dinn
Dinn is a nation of contrasting extremes. The intense heat of its humid jungles and active lava flows exist alongside the chill of its dark cities and the reality-bending Isle of Seren. This chaotic mixture comes, in part, from Dinn’s natural gateways to other planes of existence. It is also home to a stunning and diverse array of people, creatures, and monsters.
In the early years of the Third Age, Dinn’s tyrannical Monarchy fell to revolutionaries eager to decentralize the nation’s political power. Today, Dinn is a patchwork of 34 city-states and territories. Some are self-governing communities, while others are ruled over by a self-appointed elite such as a noble, general, or crimelord. A territory’s leader is known as its “Chancellor,” and each Chancellor gains legitimacy by being recognized by other Chancellors. Without a central government, the people of Dinn rely on small local volunteer militias to keep the peace.
Xelon Island, to the northeast is home to Mount Phon, a dormant volcano. The northern half of Dinn’s continental territory is covered in thick jungles and farmland that blend into lava flows at the foot of the central volcano, Mount Callas. South of Mount Callas are the quarantined zones, overrun with undead monsters and ghosts: the White Marshlands, Lake Shuyet, and the Imperial Necropolis. In the round Gulf of Malice is the crescent-shaped Isle of Seren and the Halls of the Limnal Rites.
