Formally called Terra, or just The World by its inhabitants, or the Thaniealam, or simply Alam some ancient elves called it. The world of Terra functions similarly to the Earth as we know it. The level of civilization in Terra is currently equivalent to the late medieval to early Renaissance period.
It is a general knowledge among those who are literate enough that the world was created mainly for humanity to thrive. The destined dominant species, the Creator says, according to the ancient scriptures.
The Continent
The continent where the majority of the story currently takes place. The land soaked in blood for many centuries and the realm where empires fall and rebuild, only to have themselves plunged into another devastating war again. The list of conflicts was enormous most people wouldn't even bother to remember what the casus belli were.
Except, of course, misery during Serensiel's regime. But that's the story for another time.
It is the land where humans, elves, and other ancient races settle and thrive. The level of civilization, prosperity, demographics, and culture relatively varies between nations. Such disparity and differences have been used as reasons for nations to seek war with each other.
Nowadays, however, the prospects of war between nations have been more unpopular than ever. Pioneered by Helvetia and the Elven Kingdom, the two formed a strong alliance that advocated a peaceful diplomatic approach rather than an open conflict that also served as a deterrent from other hostile forces.
And it worked, flawlessly! No other major power would risk a blatant invasion against the two, allowing them to develop their nation significantly ahead of their neighbors. The success of the two racially different nations eventually inspired the other kingdoms to sign a covenant of peace and form a Council of Nations, for the peace and benefit of all.
And so, the continent is at peace. An uneasy peace perhaps, since there will be always some top brasses in every nation who despise the idea of amity and forgetting the old hatred. But as long as reasonable leaders remain in charge, the Council will manage. And so far, the organization has proven to be quite effective in resolving discords between its state members that are satisfactory enough for all parties involved.
The Nations in the continent are as follows:
Westernant
The continent's current dominant power. Westernant started its peak after the fall of Queen Serensiel some 1700 years ago and reached its greatest territorial extent 100 years later by absorbing weakened nations in the aftermath of The Great War against Varenheim.
The empire has claimed itself to be the liberator of humanity and its eternal shield, an undisputed claim that also shows their general view toward their non-human neighbor up north. Unrivaled when it comes to propaganda and raw military strengths. Westernant speaks the loudest about fairness and tradition to keep its unity with numerous vassal-states remained cohesive, and if that wasn't convincing enough, it could back it with an overwhelming military action. Their relations with Varenheim have seen many ups and downs throughout history but today it is mostly on cordial terms.
Westernant is a member of The Council of Nations.
Tretagor
Teretagor was once a major empire with a thirst for military conquest and expansion. For the last two decades, however, following the collapse of the Feredrin Dynasty, the nation has been torn apart by a ceaseless civil war between the Loyalists of the late monarch and the Revolutionists, who seek to overhaul the nation's government system.
With no strong unifying figure and major factions still fighting to claim and reclaim the capital, and people's support, it is predicted that Tretagor will eventually dissolve into smaller states, or be annexed by nearby powers by the end of the decade
Varenheim
The elven nation that is best to be left alone. Fully self-reliant, with stable socioeconomics, and a somewhat relaxed political attitude.
Even before Serensiel's regime, the elves' history was full of strives and conflicts. Ones that still harbor eternal hatred towards them were the descendants of expelled demons and djinn tribes that once occupied the forestry and plains before the dawn of human civilization. Though eons later both races finally saw the importance of peace with the demons retreating to the north and with Alkautsar recognizing the founding of Dagorlad, there are still some clans and tribes that see the elves as the invaders and would never stop treating them with the enmity they deserve until the elves gave up the territory they stole.
Varenheim was one of three founders of The Council of Nations.
Helvetia
The beacon of progress, technological advancement, and the first republic on the continent.
Helvetia's rise to prominence started 500 years ago. While most human nations regularly warred with each other and let their territory plunged into instability, Helvetia provided safe haven for the brightest minds with specialties commonly seen as unusable for war efforts. Helvetia is an example of what happened when an affluent state poured all the money and security to support technological research and prioritized education and knowledge more than the efforts for war. And today, such stratagems are finally paying off. Every piece of technology you can find these days is made in Helvetia, the latest medical progress and discoveries are researched there, and while the rest of the world stagnates Helvetia continues on with its pursuit of knowledge and invention.
Interestingly, despite being separated by half of the continent's size by the Westernant, Helvetia's diplomatic ties are tied closest to Varenheim, dating back to 800 years ago, and remain that way to this day.
Helvetia was one of three founders of The Council of Nations.
Meche
In its heydays, Meche was a heavily militarized nation that put a lot of effort into revolutionizing their metalwork industry to the highest degree achievable at that time. Their powerful armaments and their alliance with the more magic-savvy Kindeance have earned them a fearsome reputation that would make the giant Tratagor reluctant to start a war with Meche and its vassals.
Nowadays Meche is a husk of its former self. Following the independence of Kindeance and their failure to reclaim their vassal in the following century has rendered the nation financially bankrupt. Their adherence to their militaristic tradition and the closemindedness of its populace wasn't helping either.
Meche is one of the few nations where any form of magic is outlawed.
Kindeance
If Meche is in constant decline, their neighbor Kindeance is on the opposite. A newly flourishing economic powerhouse has seen unprecedented growth after undergoing several reformations in its governance red tape, shedding the old feudal system in favor of a more democratic and participative one. That, combined with the collective effort to improve the ease of doing business had turned the nation into one of the most important trading ports that nearly rivaled Hevetia's.
Kindeance overall foreign policy and stance could be described as cautiously neutral these days with the country's focus inwardly on its own economic growth. Yet, it remained relatively cautious should the crisis in Tretagor spread into its territory and bring instability and chaos along.
Kindeance is not yet a member of the Council of Nations
The destined inheritor of the earth, and the dominant species in terms of number. No one knows where the first humans were settled, but historians agree they were here before the elves. Throughout history, mankind has split into myriads of societies and communities, scattered to every corner of the world with each having their own distinctive cultures and traditions.
The average lifespan of mankind is 120 years.
Native to Varenheim. It is widely known that the elves were angels once, descended to the mortal realm for reasons they never disclose. Always enigmatic yet seems 'human' and mortal if you can ignore the slightly longer and pointy ears. Only a bit faster than humans, and more lightweight for similar muscle mass. Generally can see in the darkness better and has a slightly sharper hearing.
The elves place a high value on the law and order to sustain their civilization. The outsider would observe that the enforcement of such laws toward their kind is rare however, and it would seem like the law itself has been subconsciously embedded into every living elves, creating a culture of collective compliance towards the law and uniform understanding of morality without being preached to.
The elves' average lifespan is 600 to 700 years.
The umbrella terms... really. Youkai is a type of djinn. spirits, fairies, nymphs, onis, and orcs, to name a few, are all types of djinns. When the creator placed the humans to dominate the world. He took away most of Djinns' powers, effectively retarding their mystical characteristic and forcing them to assume a more tangible and mortal appearance. Some evolved into more mundane species with distinct characteristics like orcs, oni, and hybrids while some of the powerful ones still retain their mystical power and thousand-years-worth lifespan. Any kind of Djinn can be slain by either physical or magical means.
Many djinn live in human society and their presence is widely spread across the globe.
The mysterious humanoid species with demonic physical characteristics. Some say they were the antithesis of the elves that were created separately, while others say they were corrupted elves or fallen angels. There are a lot of alternative rumors and speculations regarding their true origin but none of them seems credible enough to warrant a consensus. Not that the Sarkaz themselves would talk about it, whether to confirm or to deny. Initially, Sarkaz society consisted of nomadic tribes that wandered the forestry and plains north of the continent, but following the genocide that befalls them during Serensiel's regime, many Sarkaz finally unified themselves and collaborated with djinns to build Dagorlad, a land for their own.
The Sarkaz's average lifespan is 300 years. In present days, seeing Sarkaz people outside Dagorlad is not an uncommon occurrence, despite prejudice and negative stereotypes.
