Nostrum
Not the largest, nor the strongest. Nostrum sits in the center of everything, in the middle of the sea dividing all the powers of the world from each other. Nostrum (the continent, kingdom, and language share the same name) is the lingua franca of the world.
Demographics
It has a large population of mainly humans. Elves are welcome there as well, though do not have as many advantages or privileges as a native Nostrumite. The third largest demographic in Nostrum would be Beastmen, but they do not tend to live in the major cities, or if they do they tend to keep to their own quarters like elves. Valleymen are rare to see unless they are bound to the Immortals, as Cthonia's long history of invading Nostrum for slaves has made them rather unpopular there.
Institutions
Nostrumites consider themselves a free people. They weigh freedom as being free from something, not necessarily freedom to do whatever they may want. The common man is protected by the king, who himself is not strong by comparison to contemporary rulers. By tradition, the king owns nothing but holds his land in common with the people, who are free to work it without charge or being bound to the land by grace of the king.
As such, the institutions of Nostrum do not necessarily have any executive oversight at all. The monarch is in a delicate position: do too much, and the people will call them a tyrant; do too little, and the people will wonder where their protector is.
Militias
From the moment people set foot on Nostrum, they were in danger. In those early days, it was likely danger from other people on Nostrum primarily. After the Valleymen set out on their raids however, those became the main threat. And when the Empyreans invaded, then the Empyreans. After the Empyreans, then the Westfalians. Nostrum is in constant danger from threats within and without, to the point that a mere landed aristocracy could not hope to keep the nation safe.
Nostrum is a famously martial society. From the time they are children, everyone in Nostrum from the youngest princes to the old and wise are expected to learn the spear and bow. For some, this is all they ever learn. For most, they learn other professions as well as they grow into adulthood, but are expected to always be ready for attack.
Mercenary Companies
It is said that Nostrum's primary export is mercenaries and adventurers. Another common saying that of all the professions in the land, only whores and farmers outnumber mercenaries on the isle.
By tradition, when a village is destroyed in a raid and its villagers cannot rebuild, they will remain together. And without a field to till but with spears in hand, will form a mercenary company. Soldiers are always landed across the world, sometimes in Nostrum but more often in Westfal where a thousand petty wars are fought a year. So in order to stay together, the villagers turned mercenaries will leave their destroyed fields behind to try and make a new life somewhere safer.
That is tradition. What isn't tradition but it just as common is simply that there are a lot of people who know how to fight on Nostrum, and a lot of money to be made by those brave enough to fight. Even those who wanted to live a simple life are often forced to take up the spear in defence of their homeland, and having done so, realize it's for them.
The reputation of Nostrum's mercenaries is quite poor outside of their homeland. This is in part simply because foreigners, especially foreigners with weapons, aren't generally trusted. It is fair in some regards, though: Nostrumites who find themselves at opposite sides of a battlefield will often refuse to fight their fellow countrymen. And if Nostrum is in danger, often the mercenary companies will break contract and go home to defend their homeland.
The Great Houses of Nostrum
Nobility is not strictly a matter of bloodline in Nostrum. It is common for those who have been elevated to the heights of nobility to adopt children they share no relation with, and these children by adoption share the same rights and privileges as their children by blood under the laws and customs of the land. Occasionally, even adults will be adopted into a noble house.
There are really three castes of person in Nostrum society: nobility; freemen; and, villains. A noble is someone who is bound to a noble house, of which there are many, though most are impoverished and largely unknown. A freeman is someone who is not bound to nobility nor to land, who roams Nostrum freely. A villain is someone who has been born somewhere, worked there all their life, and have never left far. They are not, as is often the case in Westfal, bound to the land they work on like serfs.
The House of Fallen Leaves
Let the Mighty Tremble
The House of Fallen Leaves have ruled Nostrum for the last nigh three hundred years. In that time, they have faced great opposition but rarely from the subjects they rule. Always the nobility who have put themselves at odds with the king, seeking to subvert his rules and judgements. A strategy of stripping power away from the nobility and continually empowering the smallfolk has so far served well for the house, and they have had the good fortune to remain popular among commoners through most of this time as well.
Immortals
Valleymen have always been the enemies of Nostrum. They are hated, feared, loathed. The Red Years is a term for when the Valleymen left The Kingdom of Two Valleys on their massive warships and began to enslave as much of the world as they could. Because of Nostrum's proximity to the Valley, they have suffered the most in this.
And over the centuries, Nostrum has tried to fight back. Valleymen are extremely difficult to slay, and capturing them in battle is only slightly easier. But it has been done. Over the last several centuries, Nostrum has captured a little over one hundred Valleymen during their slave raids. These Valleymen have all been pressed into the king's service, bound to his will by a series of elaborate oaths invoking the true names of each Valleyman.
They are called the Immortals, and are the king's personal guard. It is said that fear of this personal guard is in part what has kept The House of Fallen Leaves in power for so long, for in all the time they have been in the service of Nostrum's kings, none have ever fallen in battle.
House Vance
By the Hand and Eye
House Vance has always had a strange place in Nostrum society. One of the youngest houses in the realm, it rose to prominence when the house’s founder John attempted to assassinate the king. Instead of have the man put to death, the king took him into his service. While John only ever rose to the ‘measly’ height of being the king’s personal advisor, he took a wife while in the king’s service and by her had three sons, and those three sons themselves grew in prominence, ultimately founding House Vance.
Little is known of House Vance, what work they do for the king, where their centers of power are. However, one thing that is known about them are their two most powerful relics.
The Hand
The Progenitor of House Vance was most known for his work in grafting, so much so that his very body possessed great magical potential. It is a grisly tradition of House Vance to graft the hand of John Vance onto the body of their greatest warlock.
The Eye
As with the hand, but John Vance’s eye. Sometimes both are given to the same warlock, sometimes to two warlocks of different specialties as the hand has more use in combat, and the eye more use in subterfuge.
House von Sabot
Beware the Witching Hour
Unique among all houses in Nostrum great and small, von Sabot are a house from Westfal. The von Sabots first came as proselytizers, trying to spread the faith of the Heiress. When the empire of their homeland attacked Nostrm, von Sabot were granted a chance to fight for Nostrum and they took it. Eleven of the twelve leaders of their house died, and the final member of von Sabot was later granted rights to some land, and from there their power gradually grew.
Unlike the rest of Nostrum, von Sabat is a bastion for Westfalian culture. They believe in genealogy and one’s bloodline being of the utmost important, and they worship in a Westfalian style, mostly worshipping The Heiress.
Order of Saint Vaesus
The Order of Saint Vaesus is most known for hunting down spirits, magical beings, and rogue mages. They are known for how they wear their swords, discarding the usual Westfalian sling and instead wearing two swords in two separate scabbards on one hip. One usually much shorter (and older) than the other. It is believed, correctly, that the more ancient a weapon, the more harmful it is to spirits from the Unseen.
Binding Bowls
One of the traditions brought over from Westfal, and which can be found around their seats of power if one knows where to look. It is a bowl which is perfectly round, and on the inside of it is an incantation to trap a demon of a specific domain. If a creature of the Unseen comes across it and they are of the appropriate domain, they will feel compelled to stare into the spiraling words of the bowl, unable to move away.
Biter
A sword of unusual design, with a stiff and inflexible gauntlet built into the guard restricting how it may be held. When one slips their hand into the gauntlet, a demon trapped inside the sword bites down and begins to corrupt the body of the wielder. The demon will not release until the wielder is dead. It is by tradition given to the greatest swordsman of House von Sabot to keep it safe. And to unsheathe in times of greatest danger, for the demon will eventually kill the wielder, but will also imbue them with tremendous power before their death.
The Churches of the Pentarchy
The Pentarchy is the largest religion on Nostrum.
It is led by the Ecumenical Council, made up of the leaders of the five churches. By tradition, the Church of Malakar organizes the council and administrates over any shared spaces, but will not weigh in on the council except to break ties.
Unlike in Westfal where the dominant religion wants people to go out and spread it, the Churches of the Pentarchy rarely seek to spread their faith. They will accept those who come to it naturally and some will spread the faith of their own accord, but they do not consider proselytizing the faith inherently virtuous.
Not much is known about the inner workings of the church beside for those who are already in the church as a result. Different words for priest depending on the context are lost on the average layman, nevermind the specific doctrines and the like. It is common knowledge that the speakers on the Ecumenical Council are known as Lord Ecclesiast and that "priest" is generally accepted by most clergymen, but that is all.
The Church of Malakar
Malakar's clergy have a strange reputation in Nostrum and abroad. They tend to be stoic and aloof, reluctant to step in or take a side. But they are accepted as a neutral party by the other four churches in their disputes, they try to ensure the other churches work together in harmony, and are the ones who administrate shared spaces between the churches.
The Risen
Made up of criminals, the desperate, and former slaves. These people have been indoctrinated into the Church of Malakar as its military arm, their true names given over to a handler and then made servants of Lugu. If they turn on the church or disobey their handlers, they are often destroyed. If they manage to reign in the destructive impulses that the power of Lugu grants them, then they are wielded like weapons on the field of battle, unleashing powerful conflagrations on the enemies of Nostrum.
The Risen forge chains of devotion. These chains are worn like a sleeve, sometimes like a heavy chain, sometimes very thin chains like chainmail. Not all of The Risen wear them all the time, but they are expected to in times of ceremony. Each individual ring represents an act of devotion to Malakar.
The Church of Serene
The Church of Serene is the one most active in the life of the common Nostrumite. They fulfill many essential duties: staffing hospitals, spreading alms, and the like. As such, they tend to be viewed favorably and are often awash with donations.
The Shieldmaidens
An organization made up exclusively of female warriors. While all the Churches of the Pentarchy are selective, The Shieldmaidens are even moreso. No one is permitted to join except those who are personally invited by an existing member. They will go into places of great danger, cities under siege, war zones, and the like. There, they will seek to protect those who are defenceless in the face of the ongoing fighting.
They have almost been wiped out several times in their history, but enough have remained to rebuild the order each time.
The Orders of Veils
The hospital arm of the Church of Serene. Like The Shieldmaidens, they will go out into places of danger and try to heal the sick and wounded. Unlike The Shieldmaidens, each member is sworn to nonviolence. They depend on others to protect them, most often made up of members of the Church of Valor.
They are also known for setting up hospitals, and teaching lay people who want to learn the art of healing.
Memoria
Memoria, or the Order of Memories, is the smallest part of the Church of Selene. The order is made up of specialized priests called Memories, and their purpose is to provide funerary services for anyone, free of charge.
On Nostrum, a traditional funeral service is different than in most places. The body will be buried in a designated grave, but if there is a suitable place for the dead there will also be buried casks of mead. Depending on the wealth of the dead depends on how much mead and for how long it is left buried. But those who are invited to mourn the dead will exhume the mead after a number of years, and drink to the memory of the fallen. If such a wake is scheduled but no one attends, a Memory will instead exhume the mead and drink in the dead's honor.
The Church of Krig
Given Krig's status as a god of raiders and pillagers, he isn't exactly the most liked of the Nostrum gods. Indeed, Krig's seat on the Ecumenical Council has been unoccupied for a very long time and there is no formal priesthood. Instead, it is said that the Ecumenical Council always considers what might be the most direct and violent path to seeing an issue resolved, and considers that Krig's position on the matter. Rarely does Krig's proposal pass on the Ecumenical Council.
The Church of Valor
The Church of Valor is closer to a fellowship or brotherhood than it is to a formal church. It has few temples, few places of power, but what it does have is a widespread reach. Members of the church are almost exclusively knights, and those knights tend to gather together in times of war or when called on by members of the church.
Seekers of the Black
Half mercenary company, half religious order. There are many like it, but the Seekers of the Black are the largest and most famous. They are a mercenary company made up exclusively of worshippers of Valor, though how devout any individual member is isn't clear. They will only accept work if they believe that they are fighting for the "right" side, and if that side proves to be too immoral for them they will abandon the contract altogether.
At least, in theory. Though founded on good intentions, there have been times in its history where the Seekers of the Black have earned their share of infamy. Beside for its religious affiliation, what makes them particularly famous is their reputation for hunting down monsters and shylings, and they have a particular regiment within their ranks that is specifically for that.
The Church of Euphoria
The Church of Euphoria is even less united than the Church of Valor. Often, Euphoria's teachings are treated more like than idea or a mindset than a proper faith. There are a few longstanding organizations that claim to be devoted to Euphoria, but finding someone who is truly a devout practitioner is somewhat rare outside of certain circles.
Provinces
The five duchies of Nostrum. At least, five duchies by tradition. Over the centuries, the duchies have been gradually reduced, and since the last epoch wiped out most of Nostrum's population three of the five duchies lack any major settlements whatsoever.
By tradition, there is a sixth duchy. Though which duchy it is depends on who is asked. To some, Eastla is the sixth duchy, because it was founded by Nostrumites. To others, Suzer for it began as a colony and would have fallen to ruin in its early years if not for subsidies from the homeland. To others still, Blackport because it began as a penal colony for Nostrumite criminals and miscreants.
Redwine
From whence the king rules, Redwine is both the capital of Nostrum and the name of the duchy. The capital itself is a large walled city, meticulously planned out to withstand any assault or prolonged siege. At least, in theory.
It is named for the wine that is said to flow from the place like water. Wine from the countryside around Redwine is too abundant to be considered high class, but it is ubiquitous across the world.
The Marches
Once made up of hundreds of castles large and small, The Marches are now more of a historical footnote than a place of any real importance. The Marcher Lord used to be the title of these lands, now long abandoned. The place is covered in rolling moors, without tree or building in sight. Because it is the closest shore to the Valley, occasionally the king will send out expeditions of foragers to destroy any new growth that sprouts up if it's deemed that it could be of any possible use to the enemy.
The Dales
Everywhere south of the southern mountain chain of Nostrum, where mostly mountain clans lie. Because the ground is too rough to make good use of, and it's resource poor, the land is left mostly to the clans and few "civilized" settlements remain there. Like The Marches, it was once teeming with settlements. Like The Marches, it has been long abandoned.
Luten-Augusburg
Nestled on a bay in a fertile valley between mountains and sea, Luten-Augusburg is the largest city on the continent by population. Because it is ruled by a natively Westfalian house and its architecture is derived mainly from those people, the inhabitants of the city are often looked down on as foreigners by the rest of Nostrum. Which is to say, people from Redwine.
The Redfort
The most ancient and strange place on the continent, if not the world. It has been known since time immemmorial that an ancient evil lies there, The Red Duke, The Vampire. Yet no one has ever successfully ousted the creature from its castle, and the creature has indeed never left its castle. Its castle is surrounded by strange translucent grasses which mark the borders of its territory, the smallest of all the duchies.