The Taohuan Realms

"The Taohuan Realms" is the term used by the Keller to describe the lands far to the southeast, on the continent shared with the Uthman Lands. This half of the continent is separated from the other half by the "Padang Abu" or "Steppe of Ash" a vast plain inhabited by large numbers of humanoids and dangerous creatures. Geographically, the Taohuan Lands are divided between a main landmass, a large peninsula, two large islands, and several straits and small seas. The lands are generally flatter than the Keller Lands, with larger populations but fewer mountainous areas and fewer large rivers. As expected, the northern areas are subtropical or temperate, while the far south is more arctic in climate. 

The inhabitants belong to hundreds of different ethnic groups, the largest ones being the Nayu, Rusak, Tawan Krai, Besar, and the Chigtei/Khuiten. All share physical characteristics of humans from East and Southeast Asia on Earth... dark hair, epicanthal folds, and so forth. Each group has a separate language family, though the Besar language is used as a sort of regional "Common Language". The political entities of the Taohuan Lands are larger and less numerous than the Keller Lands, though several are wracked by civil war. Unlike in the Known World, no single entity has ever ruled the entire region. The Taohuan Lands have as much religious variety as most parts of Aestas, though four main faiths can be found here. These include Nayu Legalism, the Circle of the Eastern Gods, Jalan Dewah, and Zovkanism. 

1) Empire of Dako Nayuta - This large subcontinent is home to the Nayu people, one of several major Taohuan ethnicities. For most of history it was divided among many small nations, the largest of which was centered on the northern river valley. In the last century, this state has unified the entire continent under its harsh rule. Dako Nayuta is a heavily militarized, agricultural state centered on a single law code established by the ruling dynasty. Functionally similar to Qin Legalism, it is backed up by a state monopoly on the use of magic, and a religion centered around the worship of a single creator deity with the state as its servant called Nayu Legalism. Most imperial efforts are directed inward towards maintaining order, so it only rarely presents a threat to its neighbors. 2) "Twenty Kingdoms of Pulo Rusak"- Pulo Rusak is another large island dominated by a single ethnic group, the Rusak. Once a single state, Pulo Rusak is in the midst of a decades long civil war between five noble families. It is politically divided into a score of feuding domains, each pledged to one of the great families. These domains are each dominated by a warrior aristocracy, interwoven with various mercantile and clerical organizations that unite the island into a single coherent place. The island bears some similarities to Sengoku-era Japan. The Circle of the Eastern Gods is the most popular faith here. 

3) Empire of Ban Sawetan - This large kingdom is an interesting counterpoint to the "Twenty Kingdoms" across a wide strait. Though inhabited mainly by the Rusak peoples, it is stable, unified, and relatively prosperous. Power is divided between a monarch and a "council of the great names", representing the great landholding families. The monarch is chosen from among the children of the families, rules for life, and is forbidden to have heirs. It is a quasi-religious position, and most are clerics. Ban Sawetan is divided among a temperate north and a much colder south, and most of the population is centered around a single river valley. The south is inhabited by large numbers of humanoids and other dangerous creatures, and remains mostly undeveloped. The Circle of the Eastern Gods is the main religion, though it is a bit more structured here than in the Twenty Kingdoms. 

4) Kingdom of Thid Tawant - Another large kingdom, Thid Tawant is home to the Tawan Krai people. Thid Tawant is similar to its neighbor ban Sawant, with population centered on the northern river valleys, but Thid Tawant has a larger portion of the polar region under its rule. The kingdom is invested in settling and exploiting the colder portions, and has built both a large army and a navy. It is trapped within the Tawan Sea by the icecap, but it seeks to dominate the region nonetheless. The Circle of the Eastern Gods is the most popular faith here. 

5) Kingdom of Thidin Khaeb - The original homeland of the Tawan Krai people, Thidin Khaeb is currently wracked by civil war between the forces of a deposed monarch and a usurper. It is an unremarkable land, with few cities but an immense number of small villages. Most people in Thidin Khaeb make their living in the shallow waters of both the Tawan Polar Sea and the Rusakan Straits, and are noted seafarers. The Circle of the Eastern Gods is the most common faith here. 

6) Empire of Kerajaan Besar - This is the largest, oldest, and most stable nation in the Taohuan Lands, possibly on Aestas. Dominated by the Besar people, this gigantic monarchy has been in existence for thousands of years and hundreds of dynasties. In the present day, it is inward looking, urbanized, and largely content with its dominance of the region. Only Dako Nayuta is a rival, and even that is not considered a real threat. The capital city of Bohai is easily the equal of Kalmah or Alikai in size, wealth, and decadence. Jalan Dewah is the main faith, though practitioners of every religion on Aestas can be found here. 7) Royal Republic of Taohuan - Taohuan is the state in the region with the most contacts with the world beyond, and is the source of its name. Taohuan is a wealthy trading nation, a constitutional monarchy which broke away from Kerajaan Besar five hundred years ago. Instead of noble houses, Taohuan is dominated by rival mercantile concerns of various sorts. Taohuan possesses the only airship fleet in the Taohuan Lands, and uses them to trade with faraway lands and to enforce its independence. Taohuan maintains a strict neutrality and treats commerce as an almost religious matter... indeed, clerics are often the arbiters of commercial transactions and the guarantors of treaties. Religiously, the realm is split between Jalan Dewah and Zovkanism.

8) Kingdom of Khaluun - Home of the Chigtei people, Khaluun is a tropical kingdom, heavily forested with sea to the north and mountains to the south. It is the western frontier of the Taohuan Lands, mainly agricultura. it is relatively poor and plagued by raids from the plains, monsters, and various fell things from the jungles. Khaluun was home to an older civilization long destroyed by Kerajaan Besar, and the lands are dotted by old ruins and structures of unknown origin. In some ways, it is not unlike a tropical version of "Pine March" in the Keller Lands. The inhabitants of Khaluun practice Zovkanism of a more easy-going sort than some do. 

9) Holy Realm of Khuiten Kurai - A small, isolated kingdom squeezed between mountains and ice, Khuiten Kurai is a theocracy dominated by the leaders of the monotheistic religion found there. Ethnically related to the Chigtei, the Khuiten people keep their distance from the outside world. Most are herders and farmers, though a certain percentage are plains-dwelling nomads who constantly battle humanoids from the vast plains to the west. Khuiten Kurai is the home ground of Zovkanism, and as such is a theocracy.