Nova



Nova is the name of the world, and exists on it's own in a pocket dimension closed off from the rest of the cosmos, as told in the Nova Mythology. There are three continents on Nova - Vaerun, Galben and Chimmo.

Vaerun is divided into several regions:
 * The Frostreach: A cold and desolate tundra-forest land ruled by numerous horse lords, and consisting of tribes of hardy fishing and herding tribes in the north, with sparse villages of plainer folk in the south who are often conscripted for the long lasting wars between tribes. Only on occasion will the various warlords ally in order to defeat an external threat.
 * Daerrûn: Daerrûn is an uninhabitable place regarded with mystery and fear. A wild magic burst during one of Baethin’s many escapes created a fissure through the terrain here, permeating even the plane itself into raw magic. Little vegetation grows here, and attempts to encourage growth have led to deformed, mutated plants with short life spans. Travellers avoid the area and countless stories exist about unspeakable horrors coming from Daerrûn. The small island is Daerrai and no one is known to have travelled there.
 * Llerwyn: A quiet region of outstanding natural beauty. The population comprises of a unique mix of people, from barbaric natives of The Frostreach, intelligent Junish, a high number of elves, and even the odd outcast or two from Whitespires. Travel and trade are difficult given the location, but Llerwyn is known as the birthplace of art. Llerwyn’s wealth and power derives almost entirely from this skill in producing world-renowned masterpieces. Some people believe the place to be cursed, with the beauty just a means to draw people in. Invaders often seem to get distracted and usually fall ill when entering Llerwyn.
 * Elden: A prosperous, peaceful nation based around the great River Sarna, which pools into Lake Obin. The heavily forested river basin is home to numerous small villages and only a few larger connecting towns, with most people living simple lives. The simplicity, beauty and wildlife regularly attracts visitors, particularly to Lake Obin which is affectionately known as the Blue Beauty. A democratically elected commander is responsible for keeping the peace, but nothing else. Legends say that an aquatic elf settlement exists in the depths of Lake Obin.
 * Whitespires: The tallest mountains on the planet, some sparse settlements actually exist high up on these mountains, however the journey up there is harsh and dangerous, so they remain quite isolated from the rest of the world. The people are incredible hunters, relying almost solely on the meat from dangerous creatures that have developed a small ecosystem here, originating from Baethin’s creation. Humanoids from here are a unique race known as Neigerthal, born from the harsh conditions and isolated area. Their lives are nomadic and unpredictable, revolving almost entirely around hunting for sustenance. Inside the mountains reside the independent kingdom of Thorren who have a peace treaty with the Jun Empire and provide them with the metals needs to craft their weapons.
 * The Jun Empire: A vast, advanced country with multiple major cities and ports along the great river Obus that empties into the Arnean Ocean, and along the ocean front. Along with Sar the two major military powers on the landmass. Emperor Xiang holds three states. Junault is the original, residing in the north of the region. It holds strong defences and large structures. Seinhault is a technologically advanced state with many of Nova's leading scientists and philosophers, being pushed into developing weapons, armour and siege weapons. Seinhault has been heavily developed since it was annexed, being much use to the Jun Empire as their cities are located closer to the mouth of Obus. Barault was the most recent state to be annexed - a collection of wood elf tree villages led by the Council of Elders who conceded after losing too many of their young. As such, there is still much enmity towards the Jun Empire, but they play their part to keep their people safe. Their ancient knowledge of nature and battling in the forest may be crucial to the Jun Empire in future wars.
 * Angla: The Anglians are a proud people, but their land is mostly quite thin soil. No settlements are larger than villages, probably due to their inability to sustain them. The lack of crops has led to them finding other skills, so many train with martial weapons from a very early age. This makes them outstanding fighters and Sar has formed an alliance with them to make use of this.
 * Ossu: A quiet nation that welcomes all races and is widely diverse, trading in the port city of Oilan which faces across the Krat Sea to Galben. Exotic wares from Galben go through Oilan on their way to ports in other countries, or upriver and along roads down the Atoan Mountain range. The queen of Ossu enjoys seeing her people thrive, no matter what their background. She puts funds made from exports into education and social initiatives, including those that help the poor and disadvantaged.
 * Sar: Sar is famous for it's farming methods and high crop yields. The soil here is incredibly fertile and they've developed their methods to maximise growth and export the food to develop the nation further. They have a democratic government, voted for by landowners whose votes are weighted by the amount of land they possess. Recognising the threat of the Jun Empire, they have built a great military, easily sustained by their plentiful food. Many of the minor native races were pushed to the fringes of Sar or abroad due to various issues in early Sarian history. There is an ongoing reassimilation of the other races continuing, but there are lingering strains and resentments that continue within certain elements.
 * Egress: The Krale tribes from the plains lost the Demon Wars against Sar and were forced into the wilderness beyond the Atoan Mountains, a thin and unimportant country bordered mostly by mountain and sea. The Krale are an embittered people who eke out a meager existence in the shadow of the now dominant and prosperous Sar. Each tribe is led by a chieftan and they live quite independently of one another. Communication between tribes is normally friendly and they regularly trade and celebrate.
 * Kun: The islands of Kun grow exotic fruits that are exported to the rest of the world. Many plants and animals evolved on the cold climate of Kun, so it seems very different to anywhere else. Kun remained undiscovered for hundreds of years because of the thick mist that constantly surrounds it. Settlers travelled there in 1300 NC, making it the newest region. Through lack of resources as well as preference, the natives have a rather primitive society despite seemingly being as civilised and educated as people from other regions.

Galben is divided into several regions:
 * Réga: A prosperous nation that was until recently a merchant republic which controls almost all of the trade between Vaerun and Galben. Inhabitants are from a wide range of races. It has traditionally used zero-tolerance policing to enforce peace. Ascent is the capital city and holds the famous Golden Port.
 * Roxaban: A messy collection of uncivilised races that often fight and argue, representing the barbarism Réga so carefully avoids. Orcs and goblins are especially rife, with a significant Drow underworld. The leader is traditionally an orc that inherits the title, but weekly duels to the death take place (providing there are challengers to the throne). The great metropolis of Zaxbar is the capital. The Great Kh'Zar, an adult brass dragon, also spends most of her time in this region, constantly fighting Zaxbar.
 * Forgwyre: Swampland covers the entirety of Forgwyre as well as a thick, black fog. A purple, pulsing pin-prick of light glows through the darkness and can be seen for hundreds of kilometres away. Monstrosities roam around Forgwyre and occasionally rampage into neighbouring territory. The Darkness of these creatures can spread to others it comes into contact with, altering their personality and luring them to Forgwyre.
 * Noirra: Creeping Darkness from Forgwyre has affected this region more than any other. Creatures here are nomadic and sparse, facing mortal danger on a daily basis. Those who survive are incredibly hardy and all kinds of creatures come together through pure survival instinct to live through the horrors the Darkness throws at them, so half-races are extremely common. Those who enter Noirra seem to have difficulty finding their way out again.
 * Fracanor: The once great city of Hu Tsao stood in Fracanor, but the region has been almost entirely abandoned for generations. Ruins of great cities remain and the grounds are often involved in battles between Réga, Roxaban and Won-Yuan. Creeping Darkness from Forgwyre is rapidly affecting this area, leading to a number of horrors beginning to settle here.
 * Iseheim: Often referred to as The Land of Giants, this tundra is home to mammoths, polar bears, winter wolves, sabre-tooth tigers, remorhazes and frost giants. The frost giants rule here as a monarchy and are normally distracted fighting creatures tainted by Darkness, including their brethren who have become dark frost giants.
 * Guansai: More ice than actual land, Guansai is inhabited by the shark-like sahuagin who live underwater, although they are sometimes found on the ground travelling, trading or scouting. Aside from the reclusive aquatic elves, the sahuagin are the only ones capable of harvesting deep sea treasures, such as pearls and many types of fish, so they often receive trade proposals.
 * Darsh: The insect-like thri-keen are usually nomadic, but they have recently started to come together and have formed a coalition with the dwarven clan of Ironlight. The thri-keen hope to take back their homeland, the Darsh Desert, from the Yuan-ti and have offered to help the Ironlights with food and with fighting the sahuagin that are becoming increasingly aggressive.
 * Won-Yuan: Yuan-ti have dedicated the Darsh Desert to their vile snake gods and continue to push their borders ever further. They believe to be ascended humanoids and crusade against every other sentient creature. They use both intrigue and might to take down their opponents and have proved to be a formidable foe.
 * Advigar: The goblin king Great Grumble rules Advigar purely by being the biggest goblin around. His goblin kingdom has commercialised the ruins of the ancient dwarven kingdom of Diamaria that is widespread in the region. They entice adventurers and researchers in for a generous cut of whatever is found but are mostly too cowardly to explore for themselves. Great Grumble himself is famed for hosting impossible quests and fighting tournaments for extravagant rewards which are usually never won.
 * Fechin: An open-minded, sparsely populated region with small settlements of an incredibly wide range of races, including dragonborn, half-orcs and goblins. Every recognised settlement elects a leader to send to the high elf capital of Rysendrathalar to form a council that governs the region.
 * Herytrucharea: High elves that didn't agree with Fechin's philosophy splintered to form their own country. They developed a strong justice system which quickly acts to take down those who don't conform to their high standards. Despite this, they are strong supporters of slavery, seeing it as a kind of charity-work for less fortunate species as they are given food, water and a place to sleep.
 * Kurelivah: A number of orc clans hold Kurelivah who spend most of their time fighting each other and attempting to extend their own clan's influence. They will sometimes raid nearby regions and some clans may even attempt to trade. Occasionally a powerful leader will unite the clans and lead a powerful army, but this always inevitably collapses due to in-fighting.
 * Dooplgood: A collection of kuo-toa villages that lack any real organisation or true government. This insane species finds gods in all they see and can suddenly show strong devotion to a god they have simply just made up. They are completely incapable of logical reasoning and tend to spend their lives attempting to convert other kuo-toa to their religion. The priest with the most influence declares itself their leader and its home the capital. They are usually harmless unless threatened, until a particularly zealous priest manages to convert most of the population.

Chimmo is divided into several regions:
 * Critink: A region inhabited by rock gnomes and filled with their machines and inventions, their capital is Clankworks which is located deep in the mountains but is clearly visible from the surface due the high amounts of steam being vented out of the city. Much of the city's systems are automated with complex steam-powered machines. Critinkians invent both for novelty purposes and to fulfil functions at home and around the city. They export some of their inventions and are sometimes even hired to travel to another city and build one of their famous machines.
 * Nender: The deep gnomes have dug deep into the mountains here, with no visible presence on the surface. They manage to live deeper than any other race and have developed systems to handle the monsters that live below. As such, they have more access to valuable gems and ores than most races.
 * Glimmervale: Forest gnomes live in the woodlands here, making friends with small animals and practising magic, usually in the form of illusions. They have a magic academy in the capital of Splatoonk which holds a number of other races as it is the only magical institution in Nova. They practise alchemy and tend to test on the small animals they befriend (nothing dangerous, of course). Regular parties are organised by the forest gnomes for all three subraces to enjoy, usually taking place on the surface of Nender, where they demonstrate complex light shows they have rehearsed using their illusion magic.