Nations
The world has changed. On N-Day, the old borders, governments, cities were wiped clean in a blaze of nuclear fire and waves of Nexus energy. Now, the nations, city-states, and civilizations that rose from the ashes stand in stark contrast to the world that was. In the time since N-Day new nations have been born, grown, and died. Ruins lay scattered across the globe. Those that stand now may continue to grow, or the world may yet watch them die. The world has changed, and the world will keep changing.
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North America
Post N-Day floodwaters and Nexus Weather Events have reshaped both coast and interior in North America. A vast swath of dead land in the middle of the once great plains cuts the continent like a blackened scar. These are the Ashlands, the result of an unchecked mystical blaze hundreds of years ago. A strange new mountain lies at their heart, and rumours abound that a great magical power lies waiting for anyone who can survive the trek to the summit... but none have. In the Southeast, thick jungles have risen up and are home to all manner of strange creatures. Towering mechanized beasts that move and think like animals roam the wilderness in great packs. Amid the wild lands - the so-called Stateless Lands - countless small settlements have sprung up where people try to eke out an existence away from the megacities. These are lands of bandits, scavengers, raiders, hunters, farmers, homesteaders - and are home to the Wayfarers. Dealing in scrap is common trade, whether salvaged from the ruins of old pre-N-Day cities or hauled out of the megacities to trade hubs for sorting and distribution.
Politically, North America is split between two great coastal powers - the Midnight City Free Sate to the west, and the Halcyon Metropolitan Axis to the east. Alliances between the other nations change whenever the balance of power shifts between one side or the other. Everyone knows those two great powers would swallow up the world if they could, and making it as hard as possible for them to do so is the only way to survive.
Below are just some of the nations and settlements in North America.
| Nation | Description | Languages |
|---|---|---|
| Nordraegen | The domain of the Dragons, situated in the far north and ruled by King Lokhaarm from the mountaintop capital of Drakenstad. It is an isolationist nation rich in Nexite crystals and has been quietly building arms for some time. Some humans still live in isolated enclaves within Norgraegen's borders but are not considered citizens and are mostly ignored by the Dragons. | Draconic, English (rare), Inuktitut (rare) |
| Haida Nation | Encompasses the island archipelago of Haida Gwaii, where the Haida peoples have lived for thousands of years. Haida ship captains are in high demand to run trade routes up and down the coast. They protect their territory with iconic battleships armed with Nexite cannons and painted in their traditional art style. | Xaad kil, English |
| Midnight City Free State | The most prosperous megacity on the West Coast and rivalled in power and prestige only by Halcyon City in the East. It is the home of Gordian-Allod International, the Azure Union, the Squad Combat League, and is the place where we set our scene. For more detailed information, see the City Overview. | Faetongue, English |
| Great Cedar Island | A large island west of Midnight City, governed by a confederation of Nuu-chah-nulth, Kwakwa̱ka̱ʼwakw, and Coast Salish nations. Each nation governs their own affairs internally, but presents a united front externally. Great Cedar is a multicultural and multiethnic region that attracts those who stand in opposition to Gordian-Allod and the Unseelie Court. Sailors and ship captains from the nations are sought after due to their knowledge of the Salish Sea and many find steady work as traders and smugglers - of people out of Midnight City, and of weapons and supplies to the freedom fighters within. | nuučaan̓uɫ, Kwak̓wala, Hul'qumi'num, English |
| Western Sprawl | Less a country and more a collection of megacities whose borders have grown into each other. Bay City, New Angeles, and Santo Azul each have their own dysfunctional governments with authority in name only. The Sprawl, still devastated by the Quake of 2378, is truly ruled by gangs and cartels trading in drugs, weapons, and people. | English, Spanish, Nahuatl, Tradespeak |
| Halcyon Metropolitan Axis | Running down the east coast of North America from what was once New York to the Gulf of Mexico. It is governed by the board of Halcyon Group. Salt-crusted ruins stretch along the length of its coastline, buildings and even whole cities that succumbed to the rising sea levels post-N-Day. But in its interior, the HMA is a powerhouse of R&D and manufacturing for the pharmaceutical, biotech, and cybernetic industries. | English, Spanish, Creole |
South America
The forests and jungles of South America surged in growth with the flood of mystical energy, swallowing whole cities and civilizations. The continent is filled with fantastical magical phenomena, from spirits and mystical entities lurking in the forests, to floating mountains, to rivers of Nexus energy, to mutated jungle predators. It has become a place where people disappear - intentionally or unintentionally - in the forests, the ruins, and the Nexus rifts. Local fortune hunters make their living recovering artifacts from the ruined cities as well as mystical items transformed by the Nexus rifts. While prosperous new nations have risen up in the mountains and jungles, much of the continent remains shrouded in mystery, luring in adventurers and students of the arcane.
| Nation | Description | Languages |
|---|---|---|
| Nuevo Caral | Situated high in the Andes, Nuevo Caral takes advantage of its geography for defense and also rich Nexite deposits beneath the high peaks. It is famous for its floating mountains, upon many of which are mounted defensive Nexite cannons, as well as for having the highest percentage of native-born Giants in the world. It is a centre of innovation for agricultural processes as well as corite power generation, the latter of which makes it a target for Gordian-Allod sabotage. | Highland Caralian, Quechua, Spanish |
| Federação da Amazônia | A multicultural federation of many smaller city-states in the central and northeastern region of the continent, supported by an elaborate trade network. Life in the city states varies wildly, from tightly-packed and bustling metropolises to more frontier-like towns on the fringes of the territory. Without any centralized government, there is often tension between the local forces of each of the city-states. The Federation’s bustling port cities are the origin point for many magic artifacts shipped out across the globe, but also a haven for smugglers and expats looking to evade the law. | Portuguese, Guarani, Tradespeak |
Europe
Europe is a land of contrasts. Due to the presence of a large contingent of Fae following N-Day, the continent was rebuilt significantly faster than others, but the Fae left their mark on the lands both architecturally and politically. Many nations turned to the past to seek answers for the future, and old traditions of monarchy, theocracy, and empire returned to the forefront. But the Durendal Chevaliers, Seelie Court Bluecaps, and Aurelian Legions wield automatic weapons and spells alongside bows and shields as they march beneath their banners. Much like the past, modern Europe has been scarred by war: the Mediterranean War, the Durendal and Aurelian conquests, and most notably the Mage Wars. The political alliances between nations remain tense, and unrest grows within them as wealth inequality and repression surges.
| Nation | Description | Languages |
|---|---|---|
| New Tairngire | The seat of the Seelie Court in the former British Isles, known around the world as a centre of the mystic arts. Mages from across the globe flock here to hone their craft. The Court claims to welcome all those who seek knowledge of magic, but there is a distinct class divide in New Tairngire. Non-Fae are disproportionately poorer and have fewer opportunities than the ruling Fae minority. New Tairngire exerts a great deal of political influence over the region. | Faetongue, English |
| Batavian Commonwealth | The Nieuwe Bataafse Gemenebest was formed by the collusion of three corporations in the BeNeLux region during the Mage War Era. Batavia is a hypercapitalist’s dream, a prime location for businesses to set up European headquarters due to its laissez-faire approach to law and taxes. Batavia caters to every whim of the wealthy, but for the poor it is a land of closed doors and misery. There is a thriving criminal underworld as international syndicates make connections while recruiting the poor and destitute. | Batavian Dutch, English, French |
| Kingdom of Durendal | Le Royaume is a fortified nation of steel-and-magic castles. The kingdom is known for skilled enchanters who augment Durendal’s troops and fortifications with spells and charms. The royal dynasty has maintained a stranglehold on power since the Kingdom’s founding, and free expression is severely restricted. Many underground movements have emerged to oppose the royals, and enemies of the Kingdom supply these movements with material support in secret. | French |
| Aurelian Empire | A militaristic and theocratic nation led by an Emperor but with a strong guiding hand coming from the Holy See. Having conquered much of the Mediterranean, the Aurelian Empire acts as a stabilizing hand in the region, in its own view, or a repressive regime in the view of others. The Hunters originated within the Empire, and though not officially endorsed by the Emperor or the Holy See, receive some amount of under-the-table support in their quest to eradicate Vampires. | New Latin, Old Italian, English |
| Eastern Churn | Not a name adopted by the locals, but rather an external label given to a region wracked by war, factionalism, and instability. This region was the epicentre of the Mage Wars, with the violence and death perpetrated by proxies of New Tairngire and the Aurelian Empire. Khazar Federation (Khozarsʹka federatsiya), Novypolatsk, Moskom (Moskovskiy Kompleks), Masovia, and other smaller nations and city-states have ever-changing borders due to the constant conflict egged on by larger powers looking to exploit the region’s resources. | Old Masovian (Vampire Dialect), Eastern Slavic languages |
Africa
The African continent contains potentially the highest concentration of, and most active, Nexus rifts. As a result of this, strange and dangerous creatures roam the reshaped landscapes making life and trade a risky gamble for those living outside of the largest and most defended population centres. Africa’s populations are mostly clustered around a few great cities protected by massive walls and mystical barriers, patrolled by skilled hunters and warriors who wield magic-infused weaponry. The greatest of these cities lie in the Kangaba Empire, the most powerful political and military force on the continent and a global superpower in its own right.
| Nation | Description | Languages |
|---|---|---|
| Kangaba Empire | Dominating much of Western Africa, this empire continues to grow and draws immigrants not just from the continent but worldwide. It is known globally as the “birthplace of bluestone” and remains a world leader in all fields pertaining to research and development of new bluestone technologies. Its magical academies rival those of New Tairngire. Politically, Kangaba maintains its neutrality in global affairs and focuses on issues closer to home - such as the unstable Nexus rifts in the region and the creatures they produce. | Fula, Maninka, Tradespeak |
Asia
Large swaths of East and Southeast Asia are frequently hammered by powerful storms and natural disasters - Nexus Weather Events theorized to be caused by deep deposits of Nexite in the mountains and seas. Despite this, much of Asia managed to rebuild and repopulate after N-Day thanks to the development of hybrid building materials in Shenzhou that can withstand these storms. Shenzhou thus became the dominant force in the region and absorbed many others into its fold as client states or vassals. The regions along Shenzhou’s borders are frequently racked with political instability that many suspect to be deliberately caused by Shenzhou’s agents. Offsetting Shenzhou’s dominance is the Musashi Archipelago, a series of islands formed during N-Day by undersea Nexite volcanoes. Initially settled by the crew of a lost Japanese fishing trawler, the city of Neo Tokyo grew to become a massively wealthy port due to its location along ocean trade routes. But it is also a refuge for the criminal and the persecuted alike, and many flee Shenzhou’s oppression in Neo Tokyo’s streets.
| Nation | Description | Languages |
|---|---|---|
| Shenzhou | The largest nation both by area and population in East Asia and one of the oldest in the post-N-Day world. It is heavily industrialized and a global leader in robotics and asteroid mining, operating a storage and refuelling station on the moon in a joint partnership with Gordian-Allod. Its cities are densely populated and often seem like a playground of experimental architecture and building techniques. Unrest is present in Shenzhou’s provinces. Independence movements have grown over the past several decades in response to increasing authoritarianism. | |
| Musashi Archipelago | A chain of islands in the middle of the North Pacific. The largest island, Ōmusashijima, is the location of Neo Tokyo - a lawless port metropolis where smugglers, pirates, gamblers, mercenaries, traders, and tourists all come to take advantage of streets free from corporate rule. But Ōmusashijima is not the only island in the archipelago. Other islands have been claimed and settled by various other groups of lost sailors, pirates, and refugees from all over the world - and those same islands are also scenes of violent clashes as various pirate warlords and corporate-backed PMCs attempt to claim them for their valuable resources. | Japanese, English, Maori, Tradespeak |
Oceania
There hasn’t been a lot of contact between Oceania and the rest of the world, but there have been reports of giant spiders occupying most of what used to be Australia.