The Old World

Empire of the Torani Coast

The Torani Coast is the land that launched a thousand expeditions. Its thousands of island ports, sheltered coves, and navigable inlets positioned along favorable seas means that Torani treasure ships are welcome sights in any port, for they carry goods from around the globe anywhere that there might be something worth trading. Toranis were the first to master cannons and fit them to naval vessels, and as a result their ships of the line have the most experience and refinement of naval combat. This largely makes up for the dearth of magical talent in their nation; its best, brightest, and most charming tend to take up commerce instead of the arcane arts.

Elven Principalities of Adalstar

Once considered an unimportant chain of islands too far at sea to matter to anyone, the Adalstar Principalities - exclusively ruled by elven races - are now strategically critical as the closest freshwater ports to the Westlands. Their light, fast cloudships can more easily navigate the reefs between Bastion and the broader ocean, and as such can easily make the short trip between home and the wilds in a week or less. This has made their islands a hotbed of secondary trading, though few outsiders are permitted past the walled trading enclaves unless they are of elven descent themselves.

Hakkar Iron Combine

Foremost among the industrial powerhouses of the Old World, Hakkar's early mastery of ironworking has translated into the first industrial and commercial use of steel in the Old World. Famed now for its trains and ironclad coalburners, Hakkar engineers - whether dwarven or otherwise - are considered the best alchemists in the business. It was also in Hakkar that the secrets of gunpowder were first discovered and distributed, and the Alchemical Guild there is the strictest in its interpretation of the pacifist covenant on the matter. As such its technological marvels have only tangentially translated into military success, and it is occasionally beset by its more warlike - or at least, pragmatic - neighbors.

Grand Dukedom of Yukan and Azer

Yukan and neighboring Azer are the most powerful nations in the world by arcane metrics; the Yukanni Academy of Arcana is considered the foremost school of wizardy in the world. Azer's clerical establishment, similarly, is reknowned for its theological education and for its hospitals, which routinely produce advances in medical and magical research. Ruled by the personal union of the Grand Duke of Azer, the aristocracy of the nation is almost universally populated by magic-users. The Grand Duke is a warlock himself, but nearly everyone who can afford tuition sends their children to seek magical training of some sort. As such the nations' navies and armies are especially flush with magical talent, and are rightly feared despite their modest standing manpower.