Nations

Though there are many nations across the world, only four major powers remain, all others can be relegated to single towns and communities that are often paying taxes or made of members from the greater empires. Some factions are less nations and more loose coalitions of independent groups working together to protect their interests. Often time, this is more for trade and protection from the dangerous predators both magical and mundane across the wilds.

Major Powers

These make up the biggest powers across the world and can be considered the most important and populous kingdoms that contain multiple factions, cities, towns, and minor unnamed villages. For a deeper dive on how each race/culture is within the empire, look at the Races page.

Onokrin Empire

Type: Industrial Monarchy
Ruling Lord: Emperor Lucius Aratus
Nobility: Appointed Lesser-Lords
The premier industrial and largest kingdom, lead by the emperor and his recognized lords that manage the many fiefdoms. The empire currently resides in an official alliance with the warren federation and steel legion, recognizing both as trade partners and maintaining a defense pact against the blood rose. Formerly made up almost entirely of orcs and humans they have since added goblins and ogres as official citizens over the centuries. The onokrin are also considered experts in runic magic, having the ability to produce rune lanterns and training users in their powers. Much of the culture of the empire can be considered as individualistic and bent towards martial strength thanks to their populace being predisposed towards violence. While orcs and humans favor a militaristic approach, the empire focuses heavily on being civilized and sporting. Honor is important to any onokrin citizen and those who act as blood thirsty beasts are quickly shunned or exiled. It is actually from orcs and humans who rigidly police themselves that they maintain an air of honor and civility, with much of the more refined aspects of culture extending from this.

Orcs, and to a lesser extent humans, set the corner stone for the original empire from their inception by finding common ground between a mutual enemy. The once violent and barbaric orcs chose instead to ally themselves with the fledgling agrarian humans against the gnolls, whom they saw as far more savage than even themselves at the time. After successfully beating the gnolls back into the southern plains, the remaining towns formed the empire. Later on joined by the majority of goblins forced out of the plains by the returning gnolls and then the ogres from the north after the destruction of their kingdoms during the war of the rune.

From this amalgamation of peoples, the empire considers itself the true cultural polity of the world. From the bottom up, be it fighting, vice, industry, or trade the empire seeks to refine and remain the gold standard. One of the key and most commonly known trend among outsiders within the empire is how much reverence its citizens put on another's chosen leisure and vice. Orcs commonly choose boxing and cigars and have such a cultural focus on quality and ritual that it is a grave enough offense to be challenged to a duel if one smokes in front of another without offering a cigar. The quality of which is associated as a symbol of status, with the higher quality belaying higher station.

Humans and goblins often choose books, magic, and artisan work as their leisurely discussion and their vices often include drink and gambling. One who gambles and wins often and is well spoken is often considered the one with the highest status, yet with luck being fickle, the courts of humans and goblins change status frequently. Wealth, thusly, can be considered highly important.

Among ogres, making up the smallest number of the citizen races, they often determine who is the most respected by who can display the greatest show of magic. Often, those whom have mastered one or two ancient magic spells are considered to be the most respected, but some can manage through a combination of complex spell work. For vice, ogres suffer from a weakness to fine art in any form. It is said the easiest way to please an ogre is to offer them an art piece that is both unique and high in quality.

Cities and Towns

Name: Daggard Keep
Empire: Onokrin
Local Lord(s): Crassus the Unbroken (male ogre), Bagman Herod (Formerly)
Layout: Fortress City
Economy: Daggard Keep is largely supplied by trade routes passing through from the Warren Federation, benefiting from taxes and tariffs for all cargo and people entering empire territory. The local industry caters to the soldiers positioned here as the first line of defense against potential raiders and elven incursions. This locale largely focuses on leisure activities and tourist industries that attract even those merely passing through to other empire towns. Actual production is small, with only modest non-empire recruits being trained to later become mercenaries or join federation forces further south. While it contains other forms of minor industry, none of it is truly notable.
Crime: Daggard Keep has an incredibly thriving black market that is largely run by the various caravans seeking to move dangerous, illegal, or simply tax-exempt goods through the empire. This criminal syndicate is largely controlled by multiple competing cartels always seeking to provide various services in an uneasy peace with each other. Despite brutal competition, each various criminal enterprise has an agreement with local law enforcement, keeping their dealings out of the public eye and not letting it spill over to threaten citizens or the status quo.
Population: Daggard Keep is incredibly multi-cultural due to its geographic position as the crossroads between all empires. As a result it is one of the most common place to find members of the Warren Federation or Steel Legion who have taken up permanent residence. While still a minority, these residents are considered a core aspect of the city life and are just as respected as regular citizens.
History: Daggard Keep was first formed as a military bastion to deter gnoll raiders coming north in search of new targets. This fortress served both as a ward and vigil against outside attackers and was positioned on the commonly accepted empire border. Being the last of the great towns to form but the second largest city has positioned it as being far more modern than other areas due to much of its infrastructure being built to current-day standards rather than updated over the centuries. Though less common after the wider spread use of firearms raids and attacks on the keep while it was in construction saw the rise of many famous and legendary lords who cut teeth in these early raids before moving on to new territories. The current lord of Daggard Keep is Crassus the Unbroken, an ogre battle mage renowned for his indomitable presence both on the field of battle and within the courts of nobles, being as much a diplomat as warrior he is often credited as the greatest ally to the rodentfolk, as it is his shrewd negotiations that saw the railroads being built to connect the two world powers more directly.
Ecology: Daggard Keep is a massive city covering a wide swathe of territory surrounded by massive stone walls lined end to end in gun turrets, canons, and munition stockpiles to defend its large population. Much of the keep is practical and functional erring on the use of space and building for economy over comfort. As a result the city is separated into three primary districts. The trade district where much of the tourism and leisure activities may be found. The bastion district which store houses of munition stockpiles and warehouses filled to the brim with trade goods remain under heavily armed guard. Then the sprawl district where housing is largely delegated, separated into its own sub-districts based on economic class.

Name: Barncowl Hold
Empire: Onokrin
Local Lord(s): Emperor Lucius Aratus (male human)
Layout: Castle City
Economy: The economy of Barncowl Hold is primarily supported by the lavish spending of aristocrats and nobles who make up the primary number of citizens. Barncowl is considered the seat of the empire, the bastion of leadership among the empire and, to many, where the true decisions are made for the fate of the Empire, Federation, and Legion. While lavish villas and lush gardens manicured for novelty and beauty are of the most valued industry, the most common job among the middle and lower class is that of clerks, bureaucrats, and otherwise middle management for the rest of the empire. The hostile nature of the world requires an efficient and effective bureaucracy, and the emperor spares no expense in ensuring all taxes, materials, and budgets are balanced daily. Those who are not civil servants are often actual servants, working with independent business making use of all the money coming in from wealthy families, guilds, and companies taking up residence in Barncowl to be adjacent to the emperor, often at the behest of lords whom these sycophants are employed by.
Crime: Next to non-existent, even by the nobility and potential criminal markets. Emperor Aratus is a firm believer in Baitaal and utterly loathes all form of crime, even sanctioned rackets or quasi-legal black markets. As such, enforcement of laws and regulations are paramount and often over staffed and given multiple layers of redundancy to curb potential corruption. Potential criminals in Barncowl do not consider if they can get away with their misdeeds, but can they accomplish them and disappear before the hammer of the law comes down.
Population: As the seat of the empire and with the emperor residing in his castle bastion petitioners from all walks of wealth and life come to take up residency in the hopes of currying favoror having laws and edicts passed that favor them. As a result much of the hold is of wealthier stock and somewhat diverse, as some of the most powerful federation families and legion clans have holdings to function as liaisons and diplomats. Though this remains an exception, rather than the rule, most of the hold retains citizen populations as humans, orcs, goblins, and ogres.
History: Barncowl Hold, despite its status as the seat of the empire, once came from truly humble origins as an overly large farming village. It was where the first alliance and subsequent peace between the early human farmers and orc tribes was brokered to ally against encroaching gnoll raiders. Being the first to take this stance the village of Barncowl quickly grew in size and wealth as rumors came that it was one of the safest villages to live. The then clan elder Aurian the First assumed leadership of the steadily growing village, establishing the first kings and noble families by offering his son in marriage to the tribal orc chieftains daughter. This lineage of kings can be traced all the way to the current emperor Lucius, whose family has maintained the growth and unity of all other surviving villages who brokered similar peace with any orc tribe willing to come to mutually beneficial terms.
Ecology: Barncowl Hold is a city fortress, protected by multiple layers of walls that separate the city into two districts. The velvet hold where castle Barncowl resides along with the houses of the nobility and the silver quarter where much of the luxury, bureaucracy, and other necessary holdings for operating the empire reside. While much of Barncowl can be considered modern the hold is ever under construction as its prior existence as a farming village lends it to a labyrinth maze of streets and buildings that did not come to be with much long term planning. While rare, some buildings can be said to have been built upwards of two millennia ago that still remain standing due to constant repairs and upgrades. Barncowl is also the only empire city to boast having a power grid that offers every building electricity, a fact that lends to what visitors describe as an enchanting colorful landscape day and night.

Name: Far Water
Empire: Onokrin
Local Lord(s): Maelstrom Krakus (male orc)
Layout: Port Town
Economy: The economy of Far Water is mainly one of trade in raw materials and magical reagents brought in by Steel Legion merchant ships seeking to sell them in empire territory. As such, Far Water has a thriving economy that depends mainly on the transport of goods from imports to exports. Secondarily, Far Water is known as the town of weavers, as a select few Legion clans have set up shop offering services to humans seeking to be weaved into whatever takes their fancy or what will aid them in their chosen professions. Finally, in addition to their imports, Far Water hosts an extensive fishing trade, collecting food and hunting large ocean dwelling creatures for bones, meat, and blubber.
Crime: Crime in Far Water is extremely high but largely unknown save for select nobles, merchants, and the syndicates running various operations. Though smaller in scale than its parent syndicate in Daggar Keep operations here run under the same principle of smuggling and local enforcers will look the other way as long as crime remains out of sight and the proper bribes are paid. Unlike Daggard Keep however Far Water specializes in moving dangerous or illegal magical materials, ranging from corpses to necromancers in need of bodies to more questionable materials used to produce dangerous magical items. As such, Far Water syndicates keep a much tighter control on their members and can be considered quite ruthless.
Population: Far Water's population is largely human and deerfolk, though those that wander the streets would be hard pressed to consider it truth as much of the port town has been weaved into various forms and bodies that rarely resemble humans. While boasting a modest population of other races, the amenities available to humans and provided by deerfolk, who live far better lives in Far Water than within the Steel Legion, sees a steady influx of both races who come for work, weaving, or to take up residence.
History: Far Water began as a modest fishing village, one that had a degree of isolation from most raiders compared to other empire towns in its formative years of development. As the first king Aurian began to grow his influence and unite the struggling human realms Far Water was the first to join. The locals then saw it as only a boon that would benefit the newly formed empire far more than anyone at the time was aware. Far Water was the first town to discover and make contact with the steel legion, whose clans saw them as an opportunity to one up their rivals through trading weaponry, in particular firearms. By luck of circumstance, this grew Far Water into an extensive and wealthy trading port town who grew rich on trading weapons for materials and magical items brought to them by the steel legion.
Ecology: While on the cusp of being considered a city in its own right, Far Water is still classified as a town, with a large port that makes up most of its coastline and numerous dwellings trailing alongside the many docks. Due to its nature as being so openly spread out along the coast, Far Water is considered a quite open and “breezy” town where the quality of life is higher due to a more careful approach on aesthetic life, made all the more impressive by the artistry of deerfolk whom come to reside in the city in its later years, bringing with them their distinct designs from the Steel Legion.

Name: Pernith
Empire: Onokrin
Local Lord(s): Melanie the Verdent (female goblin)
Layout: Farming Town
Economy: Pernrith, also known as the Verdant Spring, is the primary source of agriculture through out the empire. It boasts miles of fields in its nutrient rich soils that offer incredible crop yields which are harvested and shipped all over the empire and beyond. Much of this cultivation makes up its economy, but Pernrith also supports a great number of guild halls and mercenary companies who are employed to protect the expansive reach that could not be as easily walled off as other holdings. Despite this Pernith is considered the prime location where most fresh recruits from soldiers to mercenaries alike can be trained, combating dangerous local fauna and the occasional bandit.
Crime: Crime is relatively low in Pernrith, often having petty and non-serious offensive such as theft being the most common form of banditry. As a result, Pernrith is considered quite peaceful and desired place to live, in particular among low skilled and lower class citizens looking for a simple life to ply simple trades. Much of Pernrith's guard works with local mercenaries and soldiers, trading years of experience from long term enforcers for the extra man power.
Population: As Pernrith is not considered a particularly desired locations by nobility or outsiders it can be considered an empire town through and through, boasting a populace of families who've lived in the realm since the first buildings were constructed. It's relative separation into countrysides also provide the ideal isolation that salamanders and trolls enjoy, leading to a number taking up residence in the more fringe areas.
History: Pernrith has a long history as an agriculture town that parallels the long lineage of the lord family that has ruled over it since time immeasurable. The current lord Melanie the Verdent is said to have an almost magical understanding of agriculture and plant life, and through her guidance has grown and cultivated the land to the pristine nature it is now, just as her father and grandmother before her. Pernrith was, however, the site of an almost civil war with the burgeoning empire as they had refused to join willingly and were forcefully annexed. This had lead to a long history of contention until the last turn of the century, when a series of elven sabotages strengthened Pernrith's loyalty and desire for protection from the empire.
Ecology: Pernrith can be considered largely decentralized, with the main town surrounded and supported by miles upon miles of country homes where farmers tend to wide swathes of fields with legions of farmhands and workers whose own homes dot the country side, ranging from communal work houses to cottages. The lack of centralization prevents the building of much needed walls to keep out potentially dangerous wildlife, so the borders of Pernrith often have military garrisons and naturally stronger species daring to live on the cheaper but more hazardous borders.

Name: Crullfield
Empire: Onokrin
Local Lord(s): Bonecaller Magnus Souldour (male ogre)
Layout: Industrial Town
Economy: Crullfield was once an agriculture center much like the neighboring Pernrith before the passing of its former lord Angor the Titan several decades ago. The new lord to take his place was Bonecaller Magnus, the first necromancer to become a lord and first of the priests of Xaal to become begrudgingly respected by the nobility. He has since turned Crullfield into an industrial powerhouse through the use of raising mindless skeletons to perform menial factory work in conditions no sane living creature would ever work in. With the worst and most hazardous jobs handled by the dug up graves of the former buried the strata of locals improved vastly, as Magnus was a forward thinker, allowing even the most simple minded of living people to find employment in jobs that largely worked with maintaining the skeletal hordes whom kept the factories and smoke stacks running day and night. This has severely polluted the land and nearby lakes but brought with it fantastical wealth and Crullfield is the manufacturer for most of the empire. From guns, rail lines, armor, weapons, if it can be mass produced it can be found here, skillfully made by the mindless dead.
Crime: Crime is a strange thing in Crullfield, as a black market exists but is at constant odds with local enforcers, many of whom are necromancers themselves who employ undead and sometimes even daemons to combat criminals, as few criminals will allow themselves to be captured and fight tooth and nail to avoid being potentially executed and added to the legions of mindless workers. As such, crime is few but what exists is brutal and volatile, as enforcers and criminals are always seeking to increase their ruthless methods to protect both themselves and what they see as their livelihood.
Population: Crullfield is primarily ogre and goblins in population, as goblins are well suited for industrial and skilled labor that undead workers cannot handle, while ogres are prized for their magical skills and are often selected among those looking to become necromancers. The harsh living conditions and pollution also lead to most resident being of hardier stock, leading to a small population of orcs, minotaurs, and rodentfolk who can live in relative comfort despite the state of the environment.
History: What Crullfield was before lord Magnus took control hardly matters, it is the current history that most known the town for. Crullfield is at odds with the rest of the empire, being too useful and too wealthy to be easily sanctioned for its flippant and open use of necromancy. While not exactly illegal, most outside who do not reap the benefits and easy, if unclean, living that the citizens of Crullfield have often condemn it as a sick perversion and insult to the dead. This fact is not improved by the likes of Magnus, a necromancer of immense power who has been challenged by multiple lords whom he has killed and turned into his mindless champions. Though the emperor subtly disproves of the current lord's methods by withdrawing militarily aid and heightening taxes, Crullfield can more than make up for it with its wealth and dead legions, making it as fortified and well defended as any other empire town.
Ecology: As an industrial town Crullfield is a dense urban sprawl of tightly packed homes, smoke stacks, and ever pollutant spewing factories that dot the landscape. What little plants grow around the city are pale and deadened with only the hardiest of weeds surviving in the barren conditions. Even the nearby lake is heavily polluted, its fish all but gone and only scum suckers and bottoms feeders left among the muddy and fetid waters. Despite this, even the poorest citizen of Crullfield can be considered wealthy by the standards of other towns and most live quite well if one can ignore the ever present smog.

Name: Laketown
Empire: Onokrin
Local Lord(s): Bloody-Hand Krenthis (male orc), Sad King Briareus (Formerly)
Layout: Unsurprisingly, a Lake Town
Economy: The economy of Laketown can be considered 'balanced' compared to other towns more specialized resources. From fishing, farming, industry, to the production of magic materials. It's idyllic nature has attracted a large swathe of ogres and mages seeking to hone their craft and laketown boasts one of the largest institutions of magi that can be found across the empire. It is here where most mages first receive their rune lanterns and subsequent training.
Crime: Laketown has a moderate level of crime, mostly done by mages and smugglers who work in tandem to research magic unsanctioned by the local institutions or deemed to dangerous for active study. Magi seeking to progress in these fields of magic often require rare, hazardous, or difficult to obtain materials that smugglers are all to happy to provide for the right price.
Population: Laketown has a largely balanced population, with all walks of life within the empire represented, though it has a large amount of ogres and humans thanks to its emphasis on magical studies. Due to its relative distance to both the federation and legion, it is quite rare to see residents from their respective factions within Laketown's borders, but not unheard of. Most however are temporary residents, seeking training in the arcane arts before returning to elsewhere.
History: Laketown, a modest realm of modest means with supported an even more modest life until ogres had officially joined the empire. Though the ogres had split themselves among much of the empire, those that held themselves to be the most adept mages chose to settle in Laketown at the behest of the emperor so that they may create the same institutions that to this day produce the powerful mages the empire relies heavily upon. Though a peaceful town, the current ruling lord is anything but. When the former lord passed lordship was awarded to Krenthis the Bloody-Hand, a military general who had seen exemplary success fighting against the elves in numerous conflicts. This change in leadership lead to growing conflict between the local mages and Krenthis, who despised them and has been slowly trying to shift the local enforcers and people to adopt ballistic weaponry entirely over what he sees as unreliable and dangerous magic.
Ecology: Laketown is, unsurprisingly, a lake town. It's primary strata located on a large lake where fishermen ply a bountiful trade further supported by external farms beyond the city walls. Laketown supports quite a few factories and guilds as well, leading to a local industry that, while nothing special, boast a modest level of production. Finally you have the various mage institutions, a handful of esteemed and wealthy colleges whom indict and train mages within the empire and beyond.

Warren Federation

Type: Egalitarian Oligarchy
Ruling Lord(s): Gravity Mage Wren, Lucien of the Golden Vault, Master of Chambers Griselda, Rimefrost Gwendoline, Ravette the Phoenix, Galley Master Toro, Paladin Leon, Roderick of the Shield, Thrall Master Jevera
Nobility: Clan Elders
The under empire of the federation is ruled by the triumvirate of the federation recognized as the leading polities democratically elected by the lagus, rodentfolk, and kobolds. Much of the federation is made up of multiple subterranean holds linked together by sprawling networks of stone tunnels finely chiseled into a lattice grid of artistry through masonry. Most surprising to new comers of the federation is how spacious and massive these hollowed out mountains are, built below the surface but made to accommodate the hulking lagus. The federation is one of communal cooperation over the more individualistic senses of other nations, with most citizens forming into large clan-like houses that further specialize into guilds.

Part of this communal lifestyle comes from culture as it is rare for families to live in a single hold. Most live with multiple connected families organized by the elders of their clan and often times incorporate multiple races. To further this communal nature, most clans tend to be collective, sharing wealth when asked and helping each other raise and rear children collectively. Due to the nature of lagus being largely and primarily female, a history of once being the prime ruling faction of the federation, and their long lives it is not uncommon for clans to mainly be lead by the wisest lagus matriarch, with younger members often serving lesser roles or taking over schooling and child rearing.

Part of what makes the federation such an aesthetic work of art in its underground stone empire is that history traces their lineage back to once having their mountain holds owned and ruled by the dragons. Why or how they disappeared is unknown, but the once great engineering that the dragons employed to build this fortified paradise remains intact, allowing the federation to continue expanding its three great cities. Historically, the lagus were once the sole governmental body of the federation due to how they came to be, first recruiting the kobolds who were said in history to be left masterless without the dragons to lead them. They traded their rights for security, as later did the rodentfolk who were said to have come from tunnels deeper below what the dragons had carved out.

As luck, for the kobolds at least, would have it the rodentfolk were more independent and saw their early diplomatic trades as the temporary situation that it was. Driven higher from their former dark tunnels by dangerous monsters, the rodentfolk quickly set about making not only themselves but the kobolds integral to the lower and middle stratum of society. Over a few decades they swiftly made up much of the work force and, more importantly, greater numbers than the slower reproducing lagus. With the advantages now on their side a new position was negotiated and the lagus allowed a peaceful transition from their sole polity to an equal federation, with each race given its own representative in each hold to make up the federation council.

While considered quite peaceful and diplomatic, the federation is far from as free as the empire or legion can be considered. The lagus still make up a majority of the administrative and clerical positions within the governing body and their natural psionics make them exceptional diplomats and enforcers. Use of telepaths to scan potential suspects and hypnotism to force out confessions is often seen as a violation by outsiders, but to the federation their bureaucracy sees it as the most effective way to keep the peace. That is not to say the federation is without rights or personal space, a complicated network of laws, warrants, and policies must be navigated and written in triplicate before telepaths are employed.

Externally, the federations rodentfolk tend to be the most common citizenry outsiders meet as they own most of the land-bound trade through massive caravans and sprawling networks of railways that can be likened to their underground tunnels. Since much of the current war is fought just south of the federation mountains the under empire is ever bustling with logistical transfers of soldiers, magical reagents, munitions, and relief transits. It is through this war that most of the empire has learned of the federation and its culture.

One common mistake by most is that kobolds are relegated to the role of servant, in actuality the kobolds control such as large portion of the civilian market and industry that they can be considered the wealthiest of the three races. The goods that the rodentfolk trade in, after all, were first bought from the kobolds that made them. Another very common mistake is that the lagus are a race of only females. The lagus produce males, but due to a disparaging difference in birth rates it can be said that only one male is born for every hundred females. As a result, males are often kept within their clans holds, used as bartering chips and tokens of trade to greater clans and jealously guarded due to their unique purpose. Luckily for these otherwise imprisoned men they are afforded many rights to leave, join the military, or otherwise escape thanks to campaigns by the rodentfolk and kobolds who did not want to see this state of affairs continue.

Despite its flaws, the federation is greatly valued for its fortifications, its active contribution to the war effort, and its vast and unique culture and art. Among its chief additions are its numerous psions, said to be holders of super natural powers that most are born with and a rare few develop over time. If ogres can be said to be the best bearers of the rune lanters, the lagus can be considered the greatest mystics of the super natural across the world.

Cities

Name: Locus of the Accord
Empire: Warren Federation
Local Lord(s): Gravity Mage Wren (female lagus), Lucien of the Golden Vault (male rodentfolk), Master of Chambers Griselda (female kobold)
Layout: Subterranean Fortress
Economy: Like the other holds, Locus is a self sufficient and largely siege proof bastion that has its own mines, subterranean fungal farms, underground rivers, and extensive housing, store rooms, bulwarks, and residential areas. Built under the idea that connective tunnels and auxillery burrows may collapse or otherwise be caught off, Locus has centuries worth of supplies in the event of potential disasters or needing to seal their indestructible gates to stave off potential attackers. Of what it makes it buys and sells internally, its only export and imports are largely luxery goods or excess materials deemed unneeded for storage or deemed better off sold to outsiders.
Crime: Crime in Locus is virtually non-existent thanks to extensive use of telepaths and psions to enforce the law. While telepaths cannot dive into the memories or read minds (though many pretend they can) their ability to read and understand others through psionics give them an edge normally unavailable to regular enforcers in other areas. As such, crime is extremely rare and cartels and business seeking to operate in Locus must do so as legitimate business, paying heavy operation costs to move cargo that would otherwise be deemed illegal without expensive licenses and tariffs. Despite this, many cartels still hold locations and operations within Locus as a measure of status. Any other criminals are generally easily caught and easily dealt with.
Population: Locus can be considered the second most culturally diverse location as representatives from the legion and empire, including their families, take their residence here given it is the seat of federation power. The majority of members are still lagus, kobold, and rodentfolk and among the sprawling tunnels and halls one can find them all living in communal stone burrows and warrens.
History: Locus of the Accord was the first civilization of the federation and dates back to the time of the dragons. While much of its history can be considered lost despite its rather advanced start compared to other factions the locus is provably once built by the great dragons before they disappeared. As such, this structure is a marvel of engineering that has only been replicated twice, centuries of construction, improvements, and expansions upon the original design have made it the seat of the empire. It's name comes from the accord struck between the three races who formed the original federation. Over the centuries much of Locus' social and political climate has changed with the ebb and flow of power structures, the first centuries of recorded history were marked as the golden age for the lagus when few kobolds had the political and social sway they do now while the rodentfolk had yet to be discovered. It was only with the passing of time and the influence of the rodentfolk joining the federation that this changed. In the current age Locus is a bastion of fair and egalitarian society where all nine members of the federation meet here to continue shepherding the direction of both the federation and its allies.
Ecology: Locus is your standard federation hold and the template from which both others are designed upon. Deep sprawling stone burrows, interconnected tunnels, natural caves shaped into underground arboretums given artificial sunlight in the form of magical stars, massive rivers and subterranean lakes shaped into fishing and leisure complexes. All of which supported by a deep network of resonance power systems that cyclical recycle organic materials from fresh produce to waste products. While an outsider might think that an underground realm would be a cramped and uncomfortable affair the exact opposite is true. Tunnels are wide, well lit, and heavily decorated from floor to ceiling in carvings, paintings, or plant life to accommodate the hulking lagus. If anything, its sheer size from the interconnecting hallways, the grand halls, the spacious rooms and almost open sky caverns shaped into beautiful vistas of stalactite lined ceilings coated in ever glowing gem stones like an artificial night sky above startles every new comer. While it lacks the rustic charm or the aesthetic core of the empire and legion controlled areas respectively, one never looks upon Locus as anything but a wonder of the world that stretches hundreds of miles below the surface.

Name: Worldspine Burrow
Empire: Warren Federation
Local Lord(s): Rimefrost Gwendoline (female lagus), Ravette the Phoenix (male lagus), Galley Master Toro (male rodentfolk)
Layout: Subterranean Fortress
Economy: Industry, agriculture, commerce. Burrow is the foundation of all three and, while other holds can be considered self sufficient and prepared for a siege, only Burrow can truly claim to be impregnable as its abundance is what it is known for across the world. Connected to the other realms by underground railways that eventually come to the surface to run the tracks across the plains to the empire Burrow is the chief exporter of the federation and in many ways importer. Luxury items and rare necessities are said to come first to Burrow and then to the other holds, often trafficked and watched over by rodentfolk merchants.
Crime: Crime is something of a peculiar topic in Burrow. It can be said to be common but not a problem, with most criminal activity being of the petty and simple variety. Serious crimes such as murder, smuggling, or organized criminal syndicates are extremely rare but not unheard of. Locus will sometimes offer or send telepaths from their enforcer ranks should any particular crime become important enough to warrant it. Normally standard enforcers are enough and Burrow can be considered quite safe to live in.
Population: Worldspine Burrow is a largely homogeneous hold, with only members of the federation often being seen or living within its controlled spaces. It coasts a massive population however, from all stratums of the humble and poor to the extravagant and powerful families who've taken up residence within.
History: The World Spine was the second fortress city to be built by the federation, its original purpose to be that of a population center to accommodate the rising populations after rodentfolk were absorbed in their ranks. Named after the “world spines” upon the surface, that is the towering spiked pillars dotting the landscape, this particular burrow is largely in the hands of the federation, lacking the reason or need to incorporate outsiders within their ranks. As such, Burrow has long since been considered the cultural standard of what the federation truly stands for. Its population has only increased since its formation, growing so grand that it is said it even outnumbers the federation capital, the Locus of the Accord.
Ecology: Much like the center of the federation, the Worldspine Burrow can be considered much the same in many ways, after all Locus was the template from which this burrow was built. Where it differs is that, so far from the front lines of the world conflicts it has far less dedication to soldiers and militarily pursuits and far more towards commerce, industry, and agriculture. While an outsider would be hard pressed to consider the burrow as an agrarian ideal, it has miles upon miles of caverns and subsurface rivers dedicated to harvesting produce and fish while its mining districts are said to stretch so deep that all but the kobolds cannot withstand the heat. Of its factories, these are upon the surface and are built directly into the “world spines” from which the burrow takes its name, the towering spiked pillars of stone ever churning out federation artifice under plumes of smoke.

Name: Sapphire Bulwark
Empire: Warren Federation
Local Lord(s): Paladin Leon (male kobold), Roderick of the Shield (male rodentfolk), Thrall Master Jevera (female lagus)
Layout: Subterranean Fortress
Economy: The bulwark has an extremely weak economy, with its primary function being self sustaining but largely incapable of exports or affording many imports. As its purpose is to provide watch over the largest and most easily crossed coast towards the empire its expressed purpose and sometimes net loss in wealth is considered the cost of safety. The bulwark can at best be said to provide the most numerous and best trained psions in the world, as many come to be trained on the relatively safe front lines as new recruits grow into accomplished soldiers.
Crime: Due to its rather weak economy crime is common but can be considered minuscule compared to the kind of racketeering that happens elsewhere. What does exist is often controlled by syndicates who keep a tighter control on operations than enforcers do solely for the fact that disruption of the bulwark would bring down violent immediate retribution from leaders across the world who would see problems a threat to their safety, given the bulwarks importance in keeping the elves from the rest of the realms.
Population: As the most important military bastion if the federation, if not the world, all members of all races and even some who are not well known can be found here supporting the ever under attack bulwark. As the need for specialist and talents are wide and ever increasing it is considered more uncommon to see only members of the federation in the bulwarks underground streets than it is to see rare or unusual races like trolls and gnolls.
History: The Sapphire Bulwark was once known as the Sapphire Burrow and was the third and last of the great federation holds to be built. It's original purpose was to be the housing and realm of the upper crust, the federations oldest and most wealthy families who would live upon the mountain spires overlooking the seas where its sapphire name was inspired. However, at the being of the Green Pact Conflict, the Sapphire Burrow was re-purposed, its location was geographical the most important place for the encroaching elves to over take and what was once a lavish hold of art and wealth was swiftly and forcefully re-purposed into a military bulwark that lost much of its culture and extravagance. Some still nurse bitter grudges over this, old and powerful families forced to give up their lavish underground complexes to see them turned into material storage and garrisons for the many troops roused from their own ranks or called in from the empire and legion. In the current day, the bulwark can be said to be a rather grim place, expectations of art and comfort given way to the grim reality of their position as the linchpin of the elven containment. No matter the course, the sapphire bulwark stands, under constant sporadic attacks by elven incursions beaten back by legions of psions, walls of guns, and fortified artillery positions.
Ecology: The bulwark is a fortress, a true fortress, winding halls of what would have once been realms of industry and commerce transformed into store houses, training grounds, and garrisons for troops numbering in the hundreds of thousands so that they can survive the brutal reality of an enemy without number. Of all the holds, the bulwark has the most complete territory above ground. Spires, walls, towers made both to scout for signs of invaders and nest Gatling guns, mortars, and cannons. It's long mountain ranges across the coasted are dotted with all manner of redundant positions meant to be reinforced and held at a moments notice should outer defense break or be forced to withdraw to a more tactically sound position.

Steel Legion

Type: Irenic Dictatorship
Ruling Lord: Shogun Hayta
Nobility: Appointed Daimyo
The land of the steel legion, named for the same army that conquered and united them under a single shogunate, can be considered the best and worst place to live. What people consider great about the steel legion is its idyllic agrarian society free from the need of fortifications and massive walls that keep the lands hostile predators out. The minotaurs have long since hunted down and slain any potential threat to themselves or their kingdom and has long since made it a seeming paradise. It is not an uncommon saying that the crown is safe enough for anyone to walk one town to town without a weapon and never worry for predators or bandits.

This, however, comes at a price. The current ruling shogunate and its feudal lords, the daimyo, are ruthless, militaristic, and extremely prideful. Much of the labor and menial work has been passed on to the deerfolk, second class citizens barred from the right of even having a name. Deerfolk are only called what profession they have and are disallowed from owning land or carrying weapons. Many minotaurs, while prideful and ruthless, are not inherently xenophobic or wantonly cruel. Most make up the ranks of the sailors, ship captains, samurari, and standing army. That said, pride is their weakness and it is not unheard of for a deerfolk to be killed on the spot for failing to bow to their samurai lords.

Each section of the crown, the island capital that the minotaur and deerfolk call home, is carved into fiefdoms controlled by a ruling daimyo who pays respects to the shogunate. These daimyo present an air of honor, tradition, respect, and fair idealism towards the code of what they call bushido. In reality, all of them are craven, willing to backstab each other over the smallest slight and do whatever dishonorable filthy tactic can assure them victory provided they will not be caught and can maintain the facade of honor. History is written by the winners after all and as long as one is not caught, all the matters is winning. While this open secret among the minotaurs and deerfolk is known to them, few outsiders understand this, to the point that many consider minotaurs the one group with honorable nobility.

This ruthless polity does recognize merit, however, and is one of the few nations to treat outsiders of exceptional skill as one of their own. It is not unheard of for the shogun to appoint lords from other nations or entirely nation-less individuals, such as the current acting lord admiral Zheng. Even among the deerfolk, the peasentry of the legion, lords can occasionally rise. Though often these deerfolken lords are from minotaur houses and their power resides in magic, primarily life weaving magic.

The steel legion pioneered the power of life weaving, a strange and often not well understand area of magic that has undergone greater radical change with the introduction of industry from external nations. This arcana is capable of restoring the body from the gravest injuries, healing and repairing bones and even replacing missing body parts. Further, it offers cosmetic changes, allowing one to shape themselves however they wish. Though, it was not until humans began to be weaved that it was discovered how much can truly be altered. For most it only affected simple aspects. Hair color, eye color, the shade of fur or even an inch or two in height. For humans, so much radical change could be done that legion weavers began to shape those willing into the yokai of legend.

The crown now supports a very sizeable human, orc, and ogre population as a result. These weaved individuals are paraded around as a symbol of status and fortune. From the oni believed to be good luck, to the tengu and kitsune weaved humans displayed as a flaunting of great wealth. Minotaurs are prideful and thus welcome others to reinforce their opulence. The influx of these foreigners have also cooled some of the more nationalistic pride that minotaurs carry, leading many who are not samurai to become humbler, taking up administrative or artisan work, such as leading guilds and workshops that heavily influence and in turn are influenced by outside trade.

Many minotaur seeking to leave the crown become sailors and marines, choosing to live on massive war vessels suited for transporting cargo across a hostile sea and hunting the huge kaiju that terrorize the open waters. Many minotaur houses boast of great tales of their hunts, taking down krakens and sea behemoths in grandiose stories of heroism and gun-powder violence. Few of these tales are not heavily embellished, but the claws, horns, hides, bones, skulls, and meat brought back speak for themselves of their harrowing journey.

The steel legion does have its contentious position in the world, for it is the only major nation not actively sending soldiers or lords to the front lines. Officially, the shogun has his navy patrolling the seas, watching for a potential incursion by the elves at water. Unofficially, the reason is suspected to be far less altruistic. Still, rare individuals do serve in the great conflict and supplies are still tithed on a regular basis, so the grumbling is minor.

Main Island Capital

Name: The Crown
Empire: Steel Legion
Local Lord(s): Shogun Hayta (male minotaur), Sword Saint Tatsuno (male minotaur), Sovereign Blade Kayaba (male minotaur), Ward Speaker Kaya (female deerfolk), Sea Poet Doi (female minotaur), Lord Admiral Zheng (female gnoll)
Layout: Island Nation
Economy: The Crown is an island nation whose export is, unsurprisingly, steel. While blades and weapons forged by the master smiths of the Legion are considered best in the world, those who truly wish to spend lavishly buy armor forged first by the legion to be later enchanted and refined by the magic of ogres. However, arms and armor are secondary to the chief export of magical reagents obtained by the hunting of the deep sea or island monsters surrounding the crown. These massive titans felled by legion ships or hunted by mercenary companies are valued for their immense magical properties ranging from blood to bones to strange and exotic organs whose properties are not even fully understood by the mages who use them. Lastly, the best ship builders in all the world can be found here, with vessels lining the ports ranging from battle barges to fishing ships to merchant vessels as large and well defended as a fortress.
Crime: Crime is a peculiar thing in The Crown. Enforcers do not exist, there is no set form of law and order besides which ever ruling daimyo (the Legion's word for lord) chooses to enforce. When one is wronged and feels the need to seek justice one must exact this themselves or pay a samurai employed by the local daimyo to enforce justice. These samurai are little more than state mercenaries, enacting justice impartially and at the behest of the highest bidder. The code of conduct made by the ruling daimyo decides if they will accept payment to bring justice upon an offender, the flexible nature of what is considered a crime altered by the status and money whoever is paying has. As a general rule, those who live in The Crown are fastidiously polite and extremely careful with both words and actions, as money can be paramount unless an individual thinks they can win against a samurai whose sole purpose is to act as the blade of their daimyo. The one saving grace is that, should one be challenged by a paid samurai, killing said samurai prevents retribution and further pursuit by those who originally contracted them. Though might rarely makes right, as such enforcement is entirely up to the daimyo and whatever mood takes them. Often times, individuals will simply hire their own samurai and the resulting duel between them decides who must pay or “make right” towards the perceived victim. These outcomes are honored by everyone, even the daimyo. Unsurprisingly, deerfolk are forbidden from hiring samurai and have no legal recourse to the injustice they face, but illegal means exist and thus keep the worst injustice inline. After all, even daimyo have been killed shinobi hired for the right price or merely given the right reason.
Population: The Crown does not take well to outsiders due to the vast cultural and social differences between them and their fellow allies. As such, most of the island nation remains minotaur and deerfolk and only ogres, orcs, and chimerics making a size-able population worth any note. Ogres and orcs who are considered “yokai” by the natives when they become oni are often welcomed, considered by the locals as signs of good luck and bringers of fortune. As such, they are allowed much leeway in their raucous ways compared to what would be afforded to others, in particular outsiders. Of the humans, their often weaved to resemble the yokai of legend and thus are considered symbols of status and good luck like the oni are, often treated quite well despite being outsiders.
History: The Crown is, even to this day, less of a unified nation and more of an assembly of warring clans who are still at conflict, often encouraged by the ruling shogun. The island is separated into provinces that contain villages and wide swathes of farmland and industry kept control of by local lords called daimyo who compete in small scale wars and border conflicts to capture and secure territory and resources from other daimyo. This had for centuries been the norm until what would become the steel legion were contacted by the growing empire with the arrival of fishing vessels and explorers. Those who were first contacted were samurai loyal to Sonaba the Eternal, a minotauress who saw immediate value and desire for firearms and steel carried by these early explorers. Quickly securing alliances and trade Sonaba outfitted not only her samurai but the peasantry conscripted into military service that quickly overwhelmed the still bow wielding provinces until Sonaba declared herself shogun and formed the steel legion from the remaining daimyo who bent the knee to their new empress. Since then, under the direction of the unified provinces and the ruling shogunate the legion has expanded, building ships and forging a place for themselves as the undisputed rulers of the seas and deep allies of the empire, whom the shogunate considers owing an eternal blood debt for allowing them to conquer all rivals.
Ecology: The Crown is one of the few realms in which cities, towns, and villages are spread out and not protected by walls, the island nation lacking the dangerous wildlife and potential terrors of the realm plaguing other civilized areas of the world. As such much of its territory is not only sprawling across the plains and fields of the realm but considered one of the safest in the world where one can walk unmolested across the roads and ports without weapon or guard. Industry is largely relegated to large port cities which specializes in exporting of goods while away from the coast most towns and villages are sprawling affairs which largely specialize in aspects of agriculture, mining, and guild halls of various crafts ranging from artisan works to the training of new samurai.

Blood Rose Pact

The blood rose pact is the omnicidal fanatics making up the collected elven nation. The blood rose and their ultimate goal is only vaguely understood, they seek to subjugate all life and kill all who resist. As a faction elves are consummately evil, no record of anyone or anything produced by the elves be it their own or their many weaved monstrosities of tree and plant have been or acted as anything other than utterly and totally monstrous. Elves disdain life, both for themselves and others, seeking to murder any in the most brutal and sadistic way possible. Settlements attacked by elves were often decorated with grizzly trophies to instill fear on anyone who found them later. Those who have engaged elves in melee believe their disdain for range weaponry is solely so they might watch the fear and light leave a person's eyes as they are murdered.

Strangely, elves will accept surrender, those who have are taken are never seen or heard from again. Many believe that said individuals are merely enslaved, others hypothesize that they are weaved into elves, while the most dismal think they are ground into fertilizers to fuel the elves horrific plant monsters they employ on the front lines of the war. Whatever truly happens to those foolish enough to surrender is little more than speculation, often horrific, but never confirmed.

The blood rose pact is currently locked in a war against the entire world with the most active field of conflict being just south of the warren federations mountain home. This blasted war-torn fields have seen decades of conflict with the blood rose sending elves and their abominations into a quite literal meat grinder. To the dismay of many, there numbers never seem to deplete and every few months another horde runs screaming through artillery lines, rifle range, and into the walls of trenches where they are cut down by the waiting joint defense force of the onokrin empire and warren federation.

Theories and speculation about what goes on in the blood rose kingdom or why their numbers never seem to end are a widely speculated topic, but most simply see the war as a fact of life. The only truth people can say for sure is the only good elf is a dead elf.

Minor Nations

These nations are often too small or weak to be considered much and more often are a loose coalition of villages united under similar interests such as trade or defense.

Horned Alliance

An agreed diplomatic alliance of convenience between the scattered kaxxis villages and the salamanders often found in the north eastern mountain ranges. While not really a polity in and of themselves, these villages consider themselves allies for the direct purpose of trade and protection. Often, due to the dangerous predators abounding the wilds, this comes with the trading of beasts tamed by kaxxis hypnotists and the weapons and tools forged by the reclusive salamanders to further enhance their mutual protection. While not recognized as official members, most villages also aid and unofficially recognize trolls as a member race as their solitary and nomadic nature make them excellent scouts and heralds to news going on in other parts of the world.

Swamper Free States Confederation

Another loose collection of independent villages southeast of the steel legion, living amongst the untamed archipelago of the swamp territories that are far too dangerous for even the swampers outside their bayou towns. Though rather isolated the swamp territories are considered a free port so pirates often dock in this dangerous territory to sell stolen cargo, trade stories, and buy supplies. The swampers themselves are said to be chimeric and their largest populations are what one would expect. Boar-like, gator-like, and possum-like people are very common among the locals. Outsiders tend to be of any race, often being criminals on the run from the law and laying low in swamper territory until a pirate crew will take them. In addition to their smuggling racket, swampers also produce incredibly reliable and high powered (if extremely basic) rifles that have been imported across the world.

Former Nations

These nations were destroyed as the result of war and other disasters, though survivors and refugees exist, they shall never return to their former glories.

Ogre Kingdoms

The ogre kingdoms are considered the second oldest empire, its current technical ruler being Sad King Briareus, whom is currently king in name only. The ogre kingdoms were destroyed in the war of the rune when the ogres made a militaristic bid to seize the designs of the rune lanterns from the dwarves. Though successful, the stubborn and hateful dwarves detonated a mana bomb in an effort to kill the ogres. It was unsuccessful but did destroy the northern mountains, effectively ending the nation and its ability to support life or agriculture. The ogres went south where they found the onokrin empire and the then king, the father of Briareus, brokered a deal with the emperor of the onokrin to trade their magical abilities and runic magic for a place within the empire. Thus, the ogre kingdoms fell into memory.

Garm Clans

Unlike the ogres, whom retained most of their culture and artifice when fleeing to the empire the garm were not so lucky. Once a kingdom made from a wide assembly of clans they were wiped out almost to the man by an elven incursion. In the panicked escape from the battles and slaughter by the hands of the elves, the garm fled north and into federation territory where they were accepted as refugees but denied citizenship. Worse, little of their culture survived and thus they are mostly been subsumed by the warren federation, the only retention of their former kingdom being the bitter curse afflicted them known as the feasting. What remains of the garm clans at the southern edge of the world no longer exists, their population depleted to barely above replacement levels.

Dwarven Theocratic Nation

Little is known of the dwarves, only that they first developed the runic magic and were exceptional and brilliant intellectuals whom followed a religion forgotten to time. Stubborn, spiteful, and consummate thinkers, the dwarves were only known to the ogre kingdoms where they had good relations and trade for numerous decades until the ogres made a bid to take their rune lantern designs by force. Refusing to capitulate and eventually losing to the ogres superior use of magic, the dwarves attempted a Pyrrhic victory by mana bomb to destroy both themselves and the ogres rather than allow themselves to be defeated. It failed to kill all of the ogres but it did destroy the northern mountain range, making it a barren wasteland. Thus, nothing remains of the dwarves besides the remnants of a few survivors and their stolen technology and magic. The rare few dwarves who survived the blast for various reasons moved south to the empire where they were given amnesty and residency. However, so few survived that the dwarves are considered an extinct race, when the last few perish there shall be none left.